Türkiye’s cultural sites, museums see rise in visitors

ANKARA

Türkiye’s museums and historical sites saw a surge of visitors last year, reflecting the nation’s enduring cultural appeal, figures from the country’s official statistics office have shown.

Museum and site attendance increased by 10.6 percent over the previous year, reaching nearly 61.7 million, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Sept. 5.

Paid visits to culture ministry-run museums and sites alone totaled almost 19 million, generating over 5.1 billion Turkish Liras ($123.6 million) in revenue.

The highest visitor numbers were recorded in the megacity of Istanbul with over 18 million, followed by the western city of İzmir and the central city of Nevşehir, highlighting major urban and historical tourism hubs.

Türkiye’s museum landscape also expanded.

The total number of museums rose by 5 percent to 636, including 217 under the ministry, 401 private institutions and 18 under the National Palaces Directorate. Cultural heritage sites across the country also saw growth.

Museum collections grew modestly to just under 4 million objects, with ministry-run institutions holding the majority, including coins, archaeological finds, ethnographic items and tablets.

Similarly, the number of immovable cultural assets increased by 2.1 percent to 127,285, with Istanbul, İzmir and the southwestern city of Muğla holding the largest concentrations.

The total number of registered protected areas also saw an uptick, with archaeological sites making up the bulk of these locations.