- Özgür Töre
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 | ||||||
| YEARS | RATE OF CHANGE (%) | |||||
| MONTHS | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* | 2022/2021 | 2023/2022 |
| JANUARY | 1 999 642 | 509 787 | 1 281 666 | 2 005 967 | 151.41 | 56.51 |
| FEBRUARY | 2 113 909 | 537 976 | 1 541 393 | 1 870 414 | 186.52 | 21.35 |
| MARCH | 2 746 159 | 905 323 | 2 079 565 | 2 335 728 | 129.70 | 12.32 |
| APRIL | 3 809 819 | 790 687 | 2 574 423 | 3 321 824 | 225.59 | 29.03 |
| MAY | 4 512 020 | 936 282 | 3 873 212 | 4 500 242 | 313.68 | 16.19 |
| JUNE | 5 969 981 | 2 047 596 | 5 014 821 | 144.91 | ||
| JULY | 7 413 887 | 4 360 952 | 6 664 970 | 52.83 | ||
| AUGUST | 7 016 330 | 3 982 168 | 6 304 770 | 58.33 | ||
| SEPTEMBER | 5 982 789 | 3 513 453 | 5 475 453 | 55.84 | ||
| OCTOBER | 4 818 001 | 3 471 540 | 4 803 198 | 38.36 | ||
| NOVEMBER | 2 693 151 | 1 763 982 | 2 551 483 | 44.64 | ||
| DECEMBER | 2 671 511 | 1 892 520 | 2 399 441 | 26.79 | ||
| TOTAL | 51 747 199 | 24 712 266 | 44 564 395 | 80.33 | ||
| 5 MONTHLY TOTAL | 15 183 568 | 3 680 055 | 11 350 259 | 14 034 175 | 208.43 | 23.65 |
| (*): 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 | ||||||
| NATIONALITY | 2023* | 2023 NAT. RATIO % | 2022 | 2022 NAT. RATIO % | 2021 | 2021 NAT. RATIO % |
| Russia Fed. | 640 844 | 14.24 | 362 983 | 9.37 | 19 314 | 2.06 |
| Germany | 617 617 | 13.72 | 497 918 | 12.86 | 95 065 | 10.15 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 452 724 | 10.06 | 403 976 | 10.43 | 8 303 | 0.89 |
| Bulgaria | 258 568 | 5.75 | 266 960 | 6.89 | 57 874 | 6.18 |
| Iran | 170 610 | 3.79 | 184 088 | 4.75 | 44 398 | 4.74 |
| OTHER | 2 359 879 | 52.44 | 2 157 287 | 55.70 | 711 328 | 75.97 |
| GENERAL TOTAL | 4 500 242 | 100.00 | 3 873 212 | 100.00 | 936 282 | 100.00 |
| (*): 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 | ||||||
| NATIONALITY | 2023* | 2023 NAT. RATIO % | 2022 | 2022 NAT. RATIO % | 2021 | 2021 NAT. RATIO % |
| Russia Fed. | 1 794 185 | 12.78 | 853 897 | 7.52 | 571 362 | 15.53 |
| Germany | 1 583 953 | 11.29 | 1 311 710 | 11.56 | 280 097 | 7.61 |
| Bulgaria | 1 056 524 | 7.53 | 946 366 | 8.34 | 217 527 | 5.91 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 982 267 | 7.00 | 810 466 | 7.14 | 38 751 | 1.05 |
| Iran | 794 177 | 5.66 | 838 719 | 7.39 | 238 782 | 6.49 |
| OTHER | 7 823 069 | 55.74 | 6 589 101 | 58.05 | 2 333 536 | 63.41 |
| GENERAL TOTAL | 14 034 175 | 100.00 | 11 350 259 | 100.00 | 3 680 055 | 100.00 |
| (*): Provisional Data. | ||||||
