In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Turkish Statistical Institute revealed a substantial rise in domestic tourism activities.
According to the data, approximately 9.616 million residents traveled within Turkiye, marking a 32% increase from the same quarter in the previous year.
The total number of trips taken by these travelers reached 11.509 million, with a collective 77.472 million overnight stays recorded. The average duration of stay per trip was approximately 6.7 nights, indicating a robust engagement with local tourism.
Yearly Travel and Accommodation Trends Show Growth
When viewed annually, the number of trips taken by domestic tourists in 2023 increased by 17.5% to 61.463 million trips.
Overnights during these travels saw a 10.9% increase from the previous year, totaling nearly 473 million, with an average stay length of 7.7 nights.
Domestic Travel Spending Skyrockets
Significantly, spending by domestic tourists in the last quarter of 2023 surged by 140% compared to the same period in 2022, totaling 45.735 billion Turkish Lira.
Of this, personal spending constituted 93% or 42.526 billion Lira, while package tours accounted for the remaining 7%.
Annual Spending Patterns and Sector Analysis
Throughout 2023, total spending on domestic travel reached 229.795 billion Lira, a 101% increase year-over-year.
Spending was predominantly on personal expenses, with smaller shares on package tours. The average spending per trip was 3,739 Lira.
Distribution of Spending by Category
Analysis of expenditure types for the quarter showed the highest allocation went to food and beverage at 30.2%, followed closely by transportation costs at 30%, and lodging expenses at 11.6%.
These categories saw significant increases from the previous year, highlighting growing economic contributions from various sectors of the domestic tourism industry.
Visit Motivations and Accommodation Choices
Visiting relatives was the primary reason for travel, accounting for 60.5% of all trips.
Other reasons included leisure and holiday trips, and health-related travel.
The majority of overnight stays were at the homes of friends or relatives, followed by travelers’ own homes and hotels.
