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Türkiye’s tourism revenue rose 2.4% to a record $51.28 billion in the first nine months of 2026, even as regional conflicts and higher energy prices weighed on international travel, the country’s tourism minister said Friday.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the figures at a news conference in Istanbul, where he presented results for the third quarter and the January-September period.
The country welcomed 49.13 million visitors in the nine months, including 23.37 million in the July-September quarter.
Russia was the largest source of visitors with 5.7 million, followed by Germany with 5.17 million and the United Kingdom with 3.2 million.
Third-quarter revenue rose 5% from a year earlier to $25.53 billion. Ersoy said both the quarterly and nine-month totals were the highest in the history of the Turkish republic.
Visitors stayed an average of 10.34 nights over the nine months and 10.69 nights in the third quarter.
Average spending per night rose 4.6% to $107.7 across all visitors. Foreign tourists spent an average of $119.9 per night, while Turkish expatriates spent $72.2.
Ersoy acknowledged a difficult year for the industry. Conflicts in the neighborhood, restricted skies and rising energy bills pushed up the cost of flying and made many people more cautious about traveling abroad.
"While all these negative developments are occurring in our region, Türkiye stands out as an island of stability through its strong state structure, diplomatic capacity and efforts for peace and stability led by our president, Ersoy said.
He said the ministry has adjusted to the pressure by shifting its focus between markets.
"When activity slows in one market, we can intensify our efforts in other markets and replan our promotional and marketing activities according to developments," he said.
Ersoy said campaigns by the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency generated 7.1 billion digital impressions in 74 countries.
Ten promotional miniseries featuring destinations such as Cappadocia, Bodrum, Izmir, Ankara and the Black Sea region drew 10.5 billion views worldwide in 2025 and 2026, he said.
Looking ahead, Türkiye plans to step up efforts in markets with high growth potential, including the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa and Australia.
It will also expand direct flight capacity with Turkish Airlines and tour operators, Ersoy said.
The ministry also wants to spread tourism across all 81 provinces and through the year, using initiatives such as an archaeological project called "Heritage for the Future" and after-hours museum access.
Ersoy said the ministry will make greater use of data and artificial intelligence to track market demand, visitor preferences and the results of its campaigns.
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