Türkiye eyes becoming one of top tourism destinations in the world

ISTANBUL

Türkiye aims to become one of the world's top three tourism destinations, says Mehmet İşler, vice president of the Turkish Hoteliers’ Federation (TÜROFED), adding the local tourism sector is on track to break new records this year.

In previous years, the number of tourists visiting the country was high and tourism revenue was low, but this has changed, İşler said.

“We have transitioned from being an affordable vacation destination to a well-recognized tourism center,” he added.

Türkiye first entered the top 10 in the global ranking, and later claimed a spot in the top five destinations, according to İşler.

He recalled that Türkiye aims to welcome 65 million visitors and generate $64 billion in tourism revenues this year, up from 62.3 million visitors and $61.1 billion in revenues in 2024.

“As the tourism sector, our goal is to become one of the world's top three tourism destinations,” he said.

Speaking at the general assembly of the Hotel Association of Türkiye (TÜROB), Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: “We will prioritize quality over quantity.”

“The aim is not just to increase the number of visitors but target tourists with high non-accommodation expenditures,” he added.

Between 2017 and 2024, tourist arrivals rose by 64 percent, while tourism revenues surged 95.5 percent, the minister said.

Ersoy also voiced confidence that tourism targets set for 2025 could be met.

Tourism revenues increased by 5.6 percent in the first quarter from a year ago to $9.45 billion. The average expenditure per visitor increased by 4.8 percent year-on-year to $1,022.

In the first three months of 2025, the country welcomed a total of 6.7 million foreign tourists, down 5 percent from a year ago.

Iranians top the list of foreign visitors at 733,000, down 2 percent year-on-year. Russian tourists plunged 12 percent annually to 601,000, while the number of Germans visiting Türkiye fell 17 percent to 572,000.

They expect an increase in the number of tourists coming from China, Germany, and the United Kingdom, said Engin Ceylan from the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

In addition to traditional tourism, health, culture and gastronomy tourism are growing fast, Ceylan said, emphasizing that the diversification of tourism has had a positive impact on both visitor numbers and revenue.

Early bookings suggest domestic tourism activity will also be strong this summer, according to the representatives of the industry.

A recent study by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that tourism is expected to contribute an estimated 5.2 trillion Turkish Liras (about $135.4 billion) to the national economy — roughly 12 percent of GDP, with both foreign and domestic tourist spending set to grow.

Foreign visitor spending is projected to reach $67.7 billion in 2025, meanwhile, domestic tourists’ expenditure is expected to hit $36.5 billion.