Türkiye’s tourism income edged down 0.1 percent year on year to $25.75 billion in the first half of 2026, according to official data released on July 31.
The number of visitors declined 2.7 percent from a year earlier to 24.84 million in the January-June period, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) showed.
“Despite adverse geopolitical developments, the annualized tourism revenue in the second quarter was maintained at the 2025 level with $65.2 billion,” Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek wrote on X, commenting on the tourism data.
“During this period, the number of visitors experienced a limited decline, while the average spending per person showed an increase compared to the previous year,” he noted.
“Thus, the negative impacts of the war on the current balance through the services export channel were contained. Thanks to the structural improvements achieved through our program, we anticipate that the current balance will remain at sustainable levels,” said Şimşek.
Despite the decline in visitor numbers, average spending per visitor rose 2.5 percent to $1,020, while average spending per night increased by the same rate to $108.
In the second quarter, covering April through June, tourism income fell 2.6 percent year on year to $15.87 billion.
Revenue generated from visitors totaled $15.66 billion, while transfer passengers contributed $209.5 million. Turkish citizens living abroad accounted for 15.6 percent of visitor-generated income.
Individual spending amounted to $10.93 billion during the quarter, while package-tour expenditures totaled $4.72 billion.
The number of departing visitors decreased 5.1 percent year on year to 15.58 million in the April-June period. Turkish citizens residing abroad made up 16.2 percent of the total, or nearly 2.53 million people.
Average spending per visitor increased 2.5 percent to $1,005 in the second quarter, while average spending per night rose 2.8 percent to $113.
Package-tour spending accounted for 30.2 percent of total tourism income, followed by food and beverage at 21 percent, international transportation at 12.4 percent and accommodation at 11.3 percent.
Compared with the same quarter last year, package-tour spending fell 5.5 percent, while international transportation expenditures declined 6.1 percent. Accommodation spending increased 11.7 percent, and food and beverage expenditures rose 5.2 percent.
Travel, entertainment, sports and cultural activities accounted for 71.3 percent of visits. Visiting relatives and friends followed at 16.6 percent, while shopping accounted for 6 percent.
TÜİK data also showed that tourism expenditure, which comprises spending by Turkish citizens residing in Türkiye who traveled abroad, increased by 7.4 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, reaching $2.96 billion. Individual expenditures accounted for $2 billion of the total, while package tour expenditures stood at $874 million.
During the quarter, the number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad increased by 16.5 percent year-on-year to 3.43 million. Average expenditure per capita declined by 7.8 percent to $863.
In the first half of the year, tourism expenditure fell by 0.4 percent year-on-year to $5.19 billion, while the number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad rose by 14.9 percent to 6.37 million.
