Türkiye’s 2025 tourism income up 6.8 percent to $65.2 billion

ISTANBUL

Türkiye generated a tourism income of $65.23 billion in 2025, up 6.8 percent year-on-year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Jan. 30

The total number of visitors last year reached 63.94 million, an increase of 2.7 percent compared to 2024, according to the Tourism Ministry.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, tourism income increased by 9.9 percent from the same period of 2024 to reach $15.15 billion.

Average spending per visitor rose 3.7 percent to $1,008 in 2025, while average daily spending stood at $100.

Package tours accounted for 28.2 percent of total tourism income, followed by food and beverage spending at 21.1 percent and international transportation at 12.8 percent.

Most visitors came to Türkiye for travel, entertainment and sports and cultural activities, accounting for 67.7 percent of the total.

Visiting relatives and friends was the second most common reason at 19.6 percent, followed by shopping at 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Türkiye’s tourism expenditures rose 24 percent to $9.6 billion in the same period.

The number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad also increased 4.4 percent to 11.9 million in 2025.

According to data released by the Tourism Ministry, Türkiye welcomed a total of 63.94 million visitors last year, including Turkish citizens residing abroad. Foreign tourist arrivals edged up by 0.28 percent to 52.76 million. Meanwhile, the number of Turkish citizens residing abroad who visited Türkiye surged by 15.8 percent to 11.17 million.

Russians constituted the largest group of foreign tourists, with arrivals rising to 6.9 million from 6.7 million in 2024. German tourists ranked second, reaching 6.75 million, an increase of 1.9 percent.

In contrast, tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom declined by 3.7 percent to 4.27 million. The number of Iranians visiting Türkiye fell by 6.9 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 3.05 million. Türkiye also received 2.8 million visitors from Bulgaria, marking a 3.8 percent decrease.

Tourist arrivals from the United States showed strong growth, with 1.58 million Americans visiting Türkiye, representing a 9.88 percent increase. Visitors from China also rose by 3.8 percent, surpassing 425,000.

Istanbul remained the most popular destination among international travelers, welcoming 18.97 million foreign tourists. This figure accounted for 36 percent of all foreign arrivals in Türkiye. The Mediterranean tourism hub of Antalya also attracted more than 16 million visitors last year, according to the ministry’s data.