Türkiye ranked fourth among countries recording the strongest growth in international tourist arrivals between 2019 and 2025, increasing the number of international visitors by 21 percent, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report.
The OECD report showed that Japan recorded the largest increase in international tourist arrivals during the 2019-2025 period, with growth of 34 percent. Norway followed with 28 percent, while Denmark ranked third with 22 percent.
Türkiye placed fourth with a 21 percent increase and was among the countries that expanded tourist numbers the most compared with the pre-COVID-19 period.
Separately, an OECD survey of member countries found that around one-third expect tourism performance to surpass 2025 levels and reach new records by the end of 2026. However, geopolitical developments, economic uncertainty and climate-related risks continue to affect the sector.
Firuz Bağlıkaya, president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), said that geopolitical tensions, pandemics, natural disasters, economic fluctuations and climate-related risks can quickly alter international travel patterns.
Bağlıkaya said success in tourism should be measured not only by growth figures but also by how prepared and resilient the industry is against crises. He stated that Türkiye has a strong tourism ecosystem that has successfully managed many different global and regional crises.
He said travel agencies remain among the most dynamic actors in Turkish tourism through market diversification, development of alternative destinations, creation of new products and adaptation to changing visitor demands.
He also said efforts are continuing to introduce new destinations, develop alternative tourism products and increase tourism’s contribution to regional development, with the aim of turning Türkiye’s tourism diversity into a higher-income generating structure.
According to Bağlıkaya, expanding products such as cultural, gastronomic, health, congress, sports, faith, cruise, golf, nature and rural tourism would help spread tourism throughout the year and increase per-capita spending.
He added that cruise tourism is among the tourism segments with the highest spending per visitor and provides significant added value across a broad ecosystem, from local businesses and restaurants to transportation providers and city economies.
Bağlıkaya also highlighted İstanbul Airport’s extensive international connectivity as a competitive advantage for Türkiye and said stronger integration between air transport infrastructure and cruise ports could significantly enhance the country’s home-port capacity.
Bağlıkaya said achieving Türkiye’s target of $100 billion in tourism revenue requires a growth model focused more on quality than quantity.
