Turkey sets all-time record for total number of tourists

With a month still left to account for, Turkey has set a new all-time record for total number of foreign tourists arriving to the country.

50 million tourists in the first 11 months of 2024

Data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry shows that between the period of January – November, just over 50 million foreign tourists visited Turkey, an increase of 7.1% when compared to 2023 and a new total record, beating the previous record of 49.2 million tourists in 2023.

In November alone, foreign arrivals to Turkey increased by 8.25%, reaching 2.73 million people, the data showed. When including Turkish nationals who live abroad and come home to visit family, the total number of visitors to Turkey reached 57.3 million during the first 11 months of the year.

Turkish government revising tourism targets

In October, the Turkish government announced that it has revised its year-end target for total number of tourists. The government said that it expects 61 million people to visit by the end of 2024, up from an original estimate of 60 million people.

Along with this, the government also announced revenue targets of $60 billion by the end of the year. In 2023, tourism revenues in Turkey broke records and reached an all-time high of $54.3 billion. 2025 estimates see 64 million total visitors and $64 billion in revenue.

Arrivals from Russia, Germany, and the UK

According to the data, tourists from Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom visit most. 6.5 million Russian tourists arrived in Turkey during the first 11 months, an increase of 6.9% when compared to 2023. German nationals accounted for 6.3 million visitors, up by 6.8%, while arrivals from the UK rose by 17% to reach 4.3 million people.

In November alone, the top three countries visiting were nationals from Germany, Russia, and Iran. 281,500 Germans visited Turkey, 258,900 tourists from Iran visited, and finally 254,300 tourists from Russia arrived.