Turkey sees 65% increase in visitors from China

Speaking at an event on Monday, China’s ambassador to Ankara, Jiang Xuebin, noted that Turkey welcomed over 400,000 tourists from China last year – an increase of 65% compared to the year before.

Turkey’s appeal to Chinese tourists

Jiang noted that Turkey’s tourism attractions appeal to Chinese travellers, saying: “Turkey appeals to Chinese tourists. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting.”

Jiang also said that China is one of the fastest-growing markets among international visitors arriving to Turkey. He stated that a total of 409,000 Chinese tourists visited the country in 2024, which was an increase of 65.1%.

The ambassador stated that Cappadocia is among the must-see places in Turkey for visitors from China. Last year, Turkey and China signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate further tourism, increased direct flights, and online promotions between the two countries.

Increasing trade and tourism relations

The ambassador also evaluated increasing trade and tourism relations between Beijing and Ankara, saying that Turkey is becoming a globally recognised tourism destination due to its history, culture, and diverse attractions.

He said: “In recent years, under the shared interest and leadership of Chinese President Xi Jingping and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, China-Turkey relations have maintained a positive development trend. Positive progress has been made in concrete cooperation in all fields. With bilateral trade volume reaching $48.3 billion USD last year, China has risen to become Turkey’s second-largest trading partner.”

China and Turkey: natural partners

Jiang spoke about the importance of the Silk Road, closely connecting China and Turkey throughout history and making the two countries natural partners. He finished by saying: “In the future, the two sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as history, culture, art, and archaeology.” He stated that this will further enhance mutual understanding and encourage more Chinese visitors to travel to Turkey.