Domestic tourism spending soars in first quarter of 2025

ANKARA

Türkiye’s domestic tourism spending and travel activity surged in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on July 22.

Turkish residents spent a total of 76.4 billion Turkish Liras on domestic trips between January and March, marking an increase of 68.9 percent compared to the same period last year.

Of this amount, 71.5 billion liras (93.5 percent) came from personal travel expenses, while 5 billion liras (6.5 percent) were spent on package tours.

The average spending per trip rose to 6,040 liras in the first quarter of 2025, from 4,593 liras a year ago, driven by higher prices across key categories.

Food and beverage accounted for the largest share of spending at 32 percent in the first quarter, followed by transportation at 28.4 percent, and accommodation at 10.8 percent.

Compared to the first quarter of 2024, food expenses increased by 62.5 percent, transportation by 66.3 percent, and accommodation by 66.7 percent, showed the latest data.

 Strong travel activity

Despite rising costs, domestic travel activity remained strong.

A total of 10.75 million residents traveled within Türkiye during the first quarter, making 12.65 million trips — an increase of 28.4 percent year-on-year.

Travelers recorded 85.3 million overnight stays, averaging 6.7 nights per trip, said TÜİK.

Most travelers stayed with friends or relatives, accounting for 67.6 million overnight stays in the first quarter. Private homes followed with 8.8 million, while hotels hosted nearly 5 million overnight stays.

Visiting relatives was the leading travel motive, representing 71.3 percent of all trips, according to TÜİK data.

Leisure and vacation accounted for 19.6 percent, while health-related travel made up 5 percent.

Last year, domestic tourism spending totaled 419.4 billion liras in Türkiye, marking an 82.5 percent increase compared to 2023, with personal travel spending rising nearly 77 percent to 369 billion liras while spending on package tours surging 142 percent to more than 50 billion liras.