Turkey Tourist Arrivals Rise 5% in March

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by 3.58% year-on-year to 4.86 million in May 2026, easing from a 9.44% contraction in April. Arrivals from most of the top five source markets declined, led by the United Kingdom (-9.83%), Russia (-5.91%), and Iran (-0.25%). Conversely, visitor numbers from Germany surged by 14.87%, followed by Bulgaria, which rose 5.7%. By region, Europe remained the largest source of visitors, accounting for 53.18% of total arrivals, with Germany representing 14.13%, the United Kingdom 10.16%, and Bulgaria 5.49%. Asia also accounted for 13.14%, with Iran recording a 4.78% increase in arrivals. Antalya and Istanbul remained the country’s most popular destinations, attracting 33.34% and 33.27% of all foreign visitors, respectively. In the first four months of the year, total foreign arrivals declined by 2.56% to 15.23 million.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by 9.44% year-on-year to 3.53 million in April 2026, the largest decline in a year, reversing the 5% increase recorded in the previous month. Arrivals from most of the top five source markets declined, led by Germany (-17.46%), followed by the United Kingdom (-15.14%) and Bulgaria (-5.12%). In contrast, visitor numbers from the Netherlands and Russia increased by 4.85% and 3.14%, respectively. By region, Europe remained the largest source of visitors, accounting for 56.24% of total arrivals, while Russia represented 10.97%. Istanbul continued to be the country’s most popular destination, attracting 41.72% of all foreign visitors. In the first four months of the year, total foreign arrivals declined by 2.08% to 10.37 million.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey rose by 5.01% year-on-year to 2.46 million in March 2026, following a 2.08% drop in the previous month. Arrivals increased from the top five source countries, namely Germany (40.48%), Russia (12.40%), Bulgaria (9.85%), the UK (17.73%), and Georgia (8.78%). Istanbul remained the most popular destination, accounting for 51.57% of total foreign tourist arrivals, followed by Antalya (14.60%) and Edirne (11.69%). For the first quarter of the year, total foreign arrivals grew by 2.21% to 6.84 million.