Bosphorus

Turkiye’s Tourist Arrivals in May 2023 Compared to Pre-Pandemic

The General Directorate of Security in Türkiye has recently revealed the latest tourism statistics for the country and they’re showing some promising results.

According to the temporary data obtained from the Directorate, Türkiye welcomed 4,500,242 foreign visitors in May 2023, marking an impressive increase of 16.19% compared to the previous year when the country welcomed 3,873,212 tourists.

These numbers are even more remarkable when we compare them to the May 2019 statistics, before the pandemic hit. In 2019, the total number of foreign visitors who traveled to Türkiye was 4,512,020. This means that despite the challenges of the pandemic, Türkiye is slowly but surely recovering to pre-pandemic tourism levels, with May 2023 figures showing a difference of only 0.26% compared to May 2019.

It’s worth noting that Türkiye has long been a popular destination for tourists from all over the world, thanks to its stunning scenery, rich history, and vibrant culture. From the bustling streets of Istanbul to the breathtaking beaches of Antalya, Türkiye has something to offer for everyone.

The famed Turkish resort city of Antalya was the top draw for foreign visitors with a 33.6% share, welcoming 1.51 million foreigners last month.

Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city by population and a top tourist spot came in a close second, hosting 1.5 million foreign visitors in May.

The Aegean province of Mugla and the northwestern province of Edirne, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, followed them with 380,899 and 349,123 foreigners, respectively.

DISTRIBUTION OF ARRIVING FOREIGN VISITORS BY YEARS AND MONTHS
  YEARSRATE OF CHANGE (%)
MONTHS 2019202120222023*2022/20212023/2022
JANUARY1 999 642 509 7871 281 6662 005 967151.4156.51
FEBRUARY2 113 909 537 9761 541 3931 870 414186.5221.35
MARCH2 746 159 905 3232 079 5652 335 728129.7012.32
APRIL3 809 819 790 6872 574 4233 321 824225.5929.03
MAY4 512 020 936 2823 873 2124 500 242313.6816.19
JUNE5 969 9812 047 5965 014 821 144.91 
JULY7 413 8874 360 9526 664 970 52.83 
AUGUST7 016 3303 982 1686 304 770 58.33 
SEPTEMBER5 982 7893 513 4535 475 453 55.84 
OCTOBER4 818 0013 471 5404 803 198 38.36 
NOVEMBER2 693 1511 763 9822 551 483 44.64 
DECEMBER2 671 5111 892 5202 399 441 26.79 
TOTAL51 747 19924 712 26644 564 395 80.33 
5 MONTHLY TOTAL15 183 5683 680 05511 350 25914 034 175208.4323.65
(*): Provisional Data.

 

Russia topped the list of visitors by country, with 640,844, followed by Germany with 617,617, and Britain with 452,724.

DISTRIBUTION OF ARRIVING FOREIGN VISITORS – TOP 5 COUNTRIES (2021-2023) MAY
       
 NATIONALITY2023*2023 NAT. RATIO %20222022 NAT. RATIO %20212021 NAT. RATIO %
Russia Fed. 640 84414.24 362 9839.37 19 3142.06
Germany 617 61713.72 497 91812.86 95 06510.15
United Kingdom (UK) 452 72410.06 403 97610.43 8 3030.89
Bulgaria 258 5685.75 266 9606.89 57 8746.18
Iran 170 6103.79 184 0884.75 44 3984.74
OTHER2 359 87952.442 157 28755.70 711 32875.97
GENERAL TOTAL4 500 242100.003 873 212100.00 936 282100.00
(*): Provisional Data.

In the January – May 2023 time period , the top tourism markets for Turkey are Russia Fed. with 12,78% (1 794 185) Germany with 11,29% (1 583 953) Bulgaria with 7,53% (1 056 524) share of the total visitors. Bulgaria is followed by United Kingdom (UK) and Iran.

DISTRIBUTION OF ARRIVING FOREIGN VISITORS – TOP 5 COUNTRIES (2021-2023) JANUARY-MAY
       
 NATIONALITY2023*2023 NAT. RATIO %20222022 NAT. RATIO %20212021 NAT. RATIO %
Russia Fed.1 794 18512.78 853 8977.52 571 36215.53
Germany1 583 95311.291 311 71011.56 280 0977.61
Bulgaria1 056 5247.53 946 3668.34 217 5275.91
United Kingdom (UK) 982 2677.00 810 4667.14 38 7511.05
Iran 794 1775.66 838 7197.39 238 7826.49
OTHER7 823 06955.746 589 10158.052 333 53663.41
GENERAL TOTAL14 034 175100.0011 350 259100.003 680 055100.00
(*): Provisional Data.

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