Turkey broke its all-time tourism record in 2024 by surpassing the 60 million tourist mark, while revenue from tourism also grew by a record-breaking 8.3% surpassing even the Turkish government’s own forecasts, according to recent data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) and the Eurasian country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
According to a report released yesterday by TÜİK, revenue from tourism grew by 8.3% last year to $61.1 billion, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 ($54.3 billion) and even pre-pandemic levels of 2019 ($34.5 billion). According to data presented by TÜİK, the average spend per overnight hotel stay per tourist grew by 5.3% in 2024 to reach $97.
At the same time, data provided by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism indicated that the total number of tourists visiting the country in 2024 grew by 9.84% compared to 2023 to 62.27 million people, including both foreigners and Turkish citizens living abroad who visited Turkey.
Specifically, foreign arrivals grew by 6.95% last year to 52.63 million, surpassing the 2023 figure (49.2 million), with Russia (6.7 million tourists), Germany (6.6 million) and the UK (4.4 million) as the main countries of origin of tourism in Turkey.
Konya, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia, the most visited destinations
In terms of the motivations of tourists who travelled to Turkey in 2024, the main reason – highlighted by 64.9% of visitors – was for ‘travel, entertainment or sports and cultural activities’; however, in the case of Turks living abroad who visited the country, the majority of them (69.6%) did so to ‘visit family and friends’.
As for the favourite destinations for tourism in Turkey in 2024, the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya came first, followed by the ruins of Ephesus, the Pamukkale-Hierapolis complex, the Göreme Open Museum and the Zelva Valley, both in Cappadocia.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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