Stronger ruble means more Russian tourists for Turkish tourism

ISTANBUL

Russian tourists are expected to flock to popular destinations in Türkiye following the appreciation of their local currency against the dollar and the euro.

Representatives of the tourism industry are predicting an influx of Russian tourists during the Easter holiday.

With stronger purchasing power, Russians have started making early reservations for Türkiye for the first time in a long while, they said.

Russia is one of the major source markets for the Turkish tourism industry.

More than 6.7 million Russians visited Türkiye last year, accounting for 12.8 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals. The number of Russian tourists rose by 5 percent in 2024 compared to 2023.

In the first two months of 2025, Türkiye welcomed 371,000 Russians. “Things are going very well in the Russian market,” said Kaan Kavaloğlu, president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers’ and Investors’ Association (AKTOB), pointing out the favorable developments in the Russian economy.

“Some try to link this to a marketing strategy, but that is not true. As the ruble gained value, Russians immediately started to make reservations for holiday,” he explained.

Representatives of the Turkish tourism industry said in March that Türkiye aims to host over 7 million Russian tourists this year, supported by the positive trajectory of political and economic relations between the two countries.

At that time, they also referred to the stronger ruble.

Some 7 million and 7.5 million Russian tourists are expected to visit Türkiye this year, marking an increase of at least 10 percent, Hasan Eker, vice chairman of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TURSAB), said last month.

Meanwhile, Kavaloğlu voiced optimism for the German market for this year.

Kavaloğlu predicts that more than 3.5 million German tourists will vacation in Türkiye in 2025.

According to an assessment by the German Travel Association (DRV) based on the revenues of tour operators, 17 percent of the total revenue from Easter holiday sales was generated from reservations for Türkiye.

Türkiye became the top destination during the Easter holiday, followed by Egypt in second place with a 14 percent revenue share and Spain’s Canary Islands in third place with 12 percent.

Last year, 6.62 million Germans vacationed in Türkiye, up from 6.19 million in 2023.