Turkey Tourist Arrivals Almost Flat YoY in August

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey remained broadly flat year-on-year at around 7 million in August 2026, following a 0.3% decrease in the previous month. Among the five largest source markets, arrivals from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland fell by 0.8%, 7.5%, and 0.4%, respectively, while visitors from Russia and Iran rose by 6.2% and 15.1%. Antalya accounted for the largest share of tourist arrivals at 36.24%, with 2.52 million visitors, followed by Istanbul at 27.71% with 1.93 million. Mugla, Edirne and Izmir accounted for 9.23%, 6.97% and 3.45%, respectively. In the January-August 2026 period, the number of foreign visitors arrived declined by 1.8% compared to the previous year.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell 0.3% year-on-year to 7.1 million in July 2026, following a 4.02% drop in the previous month. Among the five largest source markets, arrivals from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland fell by 1.9%, 11.0%, and 2.3%, respectively, while visitors from Russia and Iran increased by 6.9% and 27.1%. Elsewhere, arrivals from the Americas dropped 15.2%, while those from Africa and Asia rose 4.2% and 10.4%, respectively. Antalya and Istanbul continued to be the country's leading tourist destinations, attracting 35.4% and 27.2% of total foreign visitors, respectively. In the January–July period, foreign arrivals declined 2.3% from a year earlier to 27.9 million.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey dropped by 4.02% year-on-year to 5.54 million in June 2026, following a 3.58% fall in the previous month. Among the five largest source markets, arrivals declined from Germany (-11.30%), the United Kingdom (-13.87%), and Poland (-3.06%), while visitors from Russia (2.13%) and Iran (68.17%) increased. By region, Europe remained the biggest source of foreign visitors, accounting for 49.28% of total arrivals, followed by Asia (13.84%), Africa (2.21%), and America (0.78%). Antalya and Istanbul remained the country's most popular destinations, attracting 36.13% and 29.94% of all foreign visitors, respectively. In the first half of 2026, total foreign arrivals fell 2.96% from a year earlier to 20.77 million.