Tourism revenues in Turkey reached a historic high in the first half of 2025, according to official data announced on July 31 by the Turkish Statistical Institute (T??K). Revenues amounted to 25.8 billion dollars, marking an increase of 7.6% compared to the same period in 2024, further strengthening the contribution of tourism to the country’s economy.
This performance is a record for Turkey, as highlighted by the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy: “These are the highest revenues ever recorded in the first half of a year. We are on track to achieve our annual target of 64 billion dollars.”
Strong second quarter
The second quarter of 2025 (April–June) proved particularly productive for the neighboring country’s tourism, with revenues of 16.28 billion dollars — an increase of 8.4% compared to the same period last year.
Of this amount, 16.1 billion came from visitor spending and 189 million dollars from transit passengers. Personal expenditures reached 11.1 billion, while organized package tours brought in 4.99 billion dollars.
The average spending per visitor increased by 6.1% compared to last year, reaching 981 dollars. All individual spending categories saw significant growth, with organized travel expenses representing 31% of total revenues, followed by food and beverage items (19.4%) and international transportation (12.8%).
The largest increase was seen in international transportation (13.8%), followed by food and beverage expenses (13.7%) and tourism services (12.5%).
Tourist arrivals and markets
In the first half of 2025, Turkey welcomed 26.39 million visitors, marking an increase of 1% compared to last year. The main source markets were Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Tourism’s data.
Notably, 16.5% of second-quarter tourism revenues came from Turkish residents abroad, who visited the country mainly for family reasons (60.7%).
Overall, 71.1% of foreign visitors traveled for leisure, entertainment, sports, or cultural reasons. About 16.8% came to visit relatives or friends, while 5.6% traveled for shopping.
Economic importance and prospects
The Minister of Finance, Mehmet ?im?ek, stated that the tourism sector plays a decisive role in the trajectory of the Turkish economy and the strategy for a sustainable current account balance. “Despite geopolitical tensions in the region, tourism continues to show resilience and strong performance,” he noted in a post on platform X.
It is reminded that for the entire year 2025, Turkey has set a target of receiving 65 million tourists and achieving revenues of 64 billion dollars — goals that, based on the first half’s progress, are now considered realistic.
Increase also in outbound spending
At the same time, there is a significant rise in expenditures by Turks abroad. According to T??K data, in the second quarter of 2025, citizens traveling outside the country numbered 2.95 million (a decrease of 0.5%), with total spending reaching 2.76 billion dollars — an increase of 41.1% year-on-year. Of this, 1.85 billion came from personal expenses and 909 million from organized trips.
Overall, for the first half of 2025, the travel expenses of Turks abroad amounted to 5.2 billion dollars, up 39.4% year-on-year, while the number of outbound travelers reached 5.54 million (+2.4%).
Based on current trends, Turkish tourism is strengthening its position as a key pillar of the economy, demonstrating remarkable resilience and investment interest despite the uncertain geopolitical environment.
