According to the report, the number of foreign visitors to Türkiye reached 47.3 million between January and October 2024, marking a 7.03% increase compared to the same period last year. When combined with the 7.3 million Turkish citizens residing abroad who visited the country, the total visitor count climbed to 54.6 million.
Top visitor sources: Russia leads the way
Russia remained Türkiye’s largest source market, with 6.25 million visitors in the first ten months, followed by Germany with 6.08 million and the United Kingdom with 4.21 million. Iran and Bulgaria rounded out the top five.
For October alone, foreign visitors increased by 9.25% year-on-year to reach 5.45 million, with Germany sending the most visitors (925,000), followed by Russia (776,000) and the UK (530,000).
European and regional trends
European markets showed robust growth during the period, with 19.5 million visitors from OECD countries, an increase of 10.83% compared to last year. Germany and the UK maintained their positions as top contributors, with visitor growth of 6.43% and 16.93%, respectively. Italy saw the highest growth among Western European countries, with a 19.13% rise, bringing in 613,000 visitors.
Eastern Europe and CIS countries also contributed significantly, with 11.47 million visitors, a 6.51% increase. Notably, Ukraine saw a 13.26% rise, sending 848,000 visitors.
Remarkable growth in Asian markets
Japan recorded the largest growth rate of any country, with an 82.35% increase, bringing 113,000 visitors. China and South Korea also showed strong performance, with visitor numbers rising by 77.29% and 32.53%, respectively.
Mixedresults in Gulf and Middle Eastern countries
Visitor numbers from Gulf countries and Israel declined sharply. Israel saw a staggering 90.52% decrease, while Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE recorded double-digit declines ranging from 20% to 29%. Conversely, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon posted moderate gains of 2.97% and 5.59%, respectively.
Türkiye's tourism sector is on track to break records, drawing closer to its goal of welcoming 60 million visitors by the end of the year. The industry continues to benefit from growing interest across Europe, Asia, and traditional markets, despite challenges in some regions.