Tourism revenues reach $50 billion in first nine months of 2025
ISTANBUL
Türkiye generated tourism income of $24.25 billion during the third quarter of 2025, up 3.9 percent on a yearly basis, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Oct. 31.
In the first nine months of the year, tourism income of the country climbed 5.7 percent compared to the same period of last year to reach $50 billion.
Commenting on the latest figures, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: “Thanks to the positive developments, we can say with confidence that we will achieve our year-end target of $64 billion.”
TÜİK data showed that the average expenditures per capita among visitors were $1,017, rising 1.8 percent year-on-year in the July-September period; it was $100 per night.
In the same quarter, package tour expenditures accounted for 33.6 percent of total tourism income, followed by food and beverage expenditures (19.9 percent) and international transportation expenditures (11.1 percent).
People visited Türkiye mostly for reasons of travel, entertainment, and sports and cultural activities, with 73.8 percent.
The second most common reason for visits was to see relatives and friends, accounting for 17.3 percent, followed by shopping (3.7 percent).
The country's tourism expenditures jumped 32.3 percent over the same period to $2.48 billion said TÜİK.
The number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad also rose 3 percent to 3.38 million people.
Separate data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry on Oct. 31 revealed that Türkiye welcomed 41.6 million foreign tourists in the January–September period, marking a modest 0.9 percent year-on-year decline. When including Turkish citizens residing abroad, the total number of visitors reached 49.99 million.
Russians made up the largest group of international tourists, with 5.53 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2025, followed closely by German nationals at 5.22 million. Visitors from the United Kingdom ranked third with 3.54 million, while 2.3 million Iranians also traveled to Türkiye during the same period.
Istanbul retained its position as the country’s most popular destination, attracting 14.2 million foreign tourists—accounting for 34 percent of all international arrivals. The Mediterranean province of Antalya followed closely, hosting more than 13.2 million international visitors between January and September.
In September alone, foreign tourist arrivals edged up 0.54 percent year-on-year to 6.09 million.
Last year, Türkiye welcomed 52.6 million foreign visitors, generating $61.1 billion in tourism revenue.
