Turkey tourism revenue hits record high in first nine months of 2026

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the country's third-quarter and first-nine-month tourism results at a press conference held at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center. He said Turkey achieved record levels in both tourism revenue and visitor numbers despite global and regional challenges.

Tourism revenue in the third quarter rose five percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 25.526 billion dollars. From January to September, total revenue increased by 2.4 percent to 51.278 billion dollars.

“Turkey is emerging as an island of stability in the region.”

Turkey welcomed 23.374 million visitors in the third quarter and 49.132 million visitors in the first nine months of the year. Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom were the top three source countries, with 5.70 million, 5.17 million, and 3.20 million visitors respectively.

Average spending per overnight stay for all visitors rose 4.6 percent to 107.7 dollars in the first nine months. Foreign visitors spent 119.9 dollars per night on average, while Turkish citizens living abroad spent 72.2 dollars.

The average length of stay was 10.69 nights in the third quarter and 10.34 nights in the first nine months. Ersoy said regional conflicts, rising tensions, and airspace restrictions had disrupted international transport networks and made connected travel more difficult.

He described Turkey as an island of stability in the region and added that rising energy and air transport costs were also putting pressure on the sector.