Türkiye closed 2025 with record tourism revenues of $65.23 billion, surpassing the government's official target of $64 billion and marking a 6.8% year-on-year increase, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) as reported by Daily Sabah and agencies.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry said 52.78 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye last year, a 0.3% rise on 2024, while total visitor numbers — including same-day visitors — climbed 2.7% to 63.94 million, both figures setting all-time records. The government had set a 2025 target of 65 million total visitors and $64 billion in revenue.

Record highs despite multiple shocks

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy described the results as a milestone. "The 2025 figures marked the highest tourism revenue and visitor numbers in the history of the Republic," he said. "Despite regional wars, including tensions between India and Pakistan and between Israel and Iran, seasonal disruptions caused by global warming, and reservation cancellations following the Istanbul earthquake in April, we managed to close 2025 above 2024 levels."

Ersoy credited swift policy responses and market diversification with offsetting booking losses during the year.

Average spending per visitor rose 3.7% to $1,008, while nightly spending reached $100, up from $96.5 in 2024. Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek attributed the per-visitor spending gains to policies "aimed at spreading tourism across all four seasons and different areas."

Source-market breakdown

Russia remained Türkiye's largest single source market in 2025, contributing 6.9 million visitors, followed by Germany at 6.75 million and the United Kingdom at 4.27 million, according to ministry data cited by Daily Sabah.

For context, foreign arrivals in 2024 stood at 52.6 million — itself a record at the time — while total visitors reached 62.3 million that year.

2026 target

The ministry has set a 2026 tourism revenue target of $68 billion, implying growth of more than 4%. Ersoy said the government expects double-digit growth in both core and long-haul markets, singling out Russia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea as priority origins.

Why it matters

Tourism accounts for roughly 10% of Türkiye's GDP and approximately 5% of total employment, making it a primary lever for managing the country's chronic current account deficit — a point underscored by Finance Minister Şimşek's linking of the 2025 performance to the government's goal of achieving a sustainable current account balance. The sector's ability to post revenue growth of 6.8% while absorbing the demand shock of a major Istanbul earthquake and two separate regional conflicts will be closely watched by hotel investors, tour operators and airlines assessing Turkey's resilience as a destination. The $68 billion target for 2026, and the explicit focus on long-haul markets such as the United States, China, Japan and South Korea, signals that the ministry intends to pursue yield improvement alongside volume growth rather than relying solely on arrivals numbers.