Istanbul welcomed more than 18 million visitors last year

Istanbul welcomed more than 18 million visitors last year

ISTANBUL
Istanbul welcomed more than 18 million visitors last year

Istanbul, a metropolis with a population of nearly 16 million, retained its status as the most favored destination for foreign tourists in Türkiye last year.

Some 18.6 million international holidaymakers visited the megacity, which is also Türkiye’s financial, commercial and cultural capital, in 2024, up from 17.4 million in the previous year. In 2022, Istanbul drew more than 16 million visitors.

Istanbul accounted for 35.3 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals in the country last year. The latest data from the Tourism and Culture Ministry showed that 52.63 million foreigners visited Türkiye in 2024, up 6.95 percent from 2023.

Including Turks residing abroad, Türkiye welcomed 62.27 million visitors in 2024.

Last year, Istanbul welcomed a total of 1.98 million Russians, who constituted the largest group of foreign visitors. In 2023, 1.99 million Russian nationals visited the city against 1.5 million in the prior year.

Germans ranked second at 1.42 million, up from 1.29 million in 2023, followed by Iranians at 1.15 million.

In 2023, Istanbul hosted 1.29 million Germans and more than 1 million Iranians.

The number of tourists from the U.S. increased from 853,766 in 2023 to 967,095 last year, while British visitors rose from 701,361 to 794,990.

There are some 3,091 accommodation facilities in the city serving travelers with a total bed capacity of 252,589.

The famed resort city of Antalya on the Turkish Riviera ranked second, welcoming 15.9 million foreign visitors in 2024, which corresponded to 30.2 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals.

The northwestern province of Edirne, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, followed with 4.8 million visitors, while the Aegean province of Muğla attracted 3.7 million.

Russians accounted for 12.8 percent of all foreign arrivals, totaling 6.7 million, an annual increase of 6 percent.

They were followed by Germans at 6.6 million (up 6.9 percent year-on-year), Britons at 4.4 million (up 16.7 percent), Iranians at 3.2 million (up 30.9 percent), and Bulgarians at 2.9 million (up 0.9 percent).

The country’s tourism revenue surged 18.3 percent year-on-year to a historic high of $61.1 billion in 2024.

Türkiye initially aimed for 60 million visitors and $60 million in tourism revenue for 2024, but both targets were surpassed last year.

The country targets to boost tourism revenues to $63.6 billion in 2025.