Turkish consumers are spending far more abroad while foreign shoppers in Türkiye are increasing their purchases at a much slower pace, according to new banking data. The gap widened sharply over the past year as higher prices in Türkiye reduced the country’s appeal as a shopping destination.
Data from the Interbank Card Center, known as BKM, showed that physical spending overseas by domestic credit cards rose 67% year on year in May 2026, reaching 93.1 billion Turkish lira. Over the same period, spending in Türkiye on foreign cards increased 18% to 48.4 billion lira.
The figures suggest that Turkish shoppers are taking more of their spending power to other countries, while inbound tourist spending is growing at a slower rate. Analysts and industry representatives said high inflation has pushed prices up in foreign currency terms, weakening Türkiye’s edge in categories such as clothing, footwear, cosmetics and electronics.
The latest BKM figures also showed a record rise in the number of physical overseas card transactions by Turkish consumers. The count climbed from 40.4 million in May 2025 to 52.1 million in May 2026, with the value of those purchases rising from 55.7 billion lira to 93.1 billion lira.
By contrast, foreign card spending in Türkiye increased from 10.3 million transactions to 11.5 million in the same period, a rise of 11.6%. The value of those purchases grew at a slower pace than outbound spending, underlining the imbalance between outbound and inbound shopping demand.
The trend points to a wider challenge for Türkiye’s retail tourism sector. For years, the country has benefited from a reputation as an affordable shopping destination, especially for visitors buying clothes, shoes, cosmetics and consumer electronics. But rising prices have eroded that advantage.
Sector representatives said the loss of price competitiveness is affecting visitor behaviour. Tourists are spending less aggressively in stores, while Turkish consumers are increasingly travelling abroad for shopping trips.
The issue is not limited to physical stores. In online shopping, spending by Turkish cardholders on foreign websites also continued to grow strongly, despite the removal of the 30-euro customs exemption for imports.
According to BKM, Turks spent 43.6 billion lira on foreign e-commerce sites in May 2026, up from 29.2 billion lira a year earlier, a rise of about 49%. Foreign card spending on Turkish websites climbed from 15.9 billion lira to 19.5 billion lira, an increase of about 23%.
That means outbound online spending by Turkish consumers is growing at roughly twice the pace of online spending by foreign customers in Türkiye. The data suggest import controls have not curbed demand for overseas e-commerce.
BKM’s sector breakdown showed that services, including travel spending, accounted for the biggest share of Turkish online purchases abroad, at 17.2 billion lira. Travel agencies and transport followed with 9 billion lira, accommodation with 2.7 billion lira and airlines with 1.6 billion lira.
In retail categories, Turkish consumers spent 1.8 billion lira on electronics and 1 billion lira on clothing through foreign websites. Foreign visitors, meanwhile, spent 9 billion lira on airlines in Türkiye, 2.4 billion lira on accommodation and 2 billion lira on travel agencies or transport.
Retail spending by foreign cardholders in Türkiye remained well below the level of Turkish consumers shopping abroad, standing at around a third of the value of outbound retail purchases. The figures indicate that Türkiye is attracting less shopping-driven demand from overseas visitors than it once did.
Yener Karadeniz of Ekonomim reported the data, which point to a structural shift in shopping patterns linked to inflation and exchange-rate pressures. The findings also highlight the challenge facing Türkiye as it tries to restore its position as a low-cost retail destination for international visitors.
