For some time now, primarily the British broadcasting company BBC, Turkish and international media have reported that Istanbul rose to the top spot in terms of visitor numbers in 2023 with 20.2 million international visitors. These reports are based on the Euromonitor International report.
According to the report, in 2023, Istanbul became the city with the highest number of visitors at 20.2 million, followed by London with 18.8 million, Dubai with 16.8 million, Antalya with 16.5 million, Paris with 15.5 million, Hong Kong with 14.7 million, Bangkok with 12.2 million, New York with 11.7 million, Cancun with 10.8 million, and Mecca with 10.8 million.
Figures of Ministry doesn't confirm this
While this is Euromonitor's ranking, the figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism do not confirm this information. According to the ministry's data, the number of international visitors to Istanbul in 2023 was 17,370,000. With this figure, Istanbul falls behind London and takes second place.
The visitor data for Antalya disclosed by Euromonitor also does not match the figures released by the ministry. While Euromonitor states Antalya's visitor numbers as 16.6 million, the figures released by the ministry show this number as 14,750,000.
Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye
While Euromonitor's summary report does not mention the source of the data, underneath the ranking list, it states 'Source: Euromonitor'.