Türkiye’s tourism income rose 4.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 to reach $9.89 billion, according to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). The figure covers the January to March period and includes revenue from both visitors and transit passengers.
Income from visitors totalled $9.69 billion, while transit passengers contributed $201.9 million. Individual travel expenditures accounted for $8.47 billion of visitor income, with package tour spending making up the remaining $1.22 billion.
The number of departing visitors increased by 1.5% compared to the same period last year, reaching 9.26 million. Turkish citizens resident abroad represented 25.7% of that total, at 2.38 million people, and also accounted for 25.6% of total tourism income from visitors.
Visitors departing from Türkiye spent an average of $102 per night, while Turkish citizens resident abroad averaged $72 per night.
Food and beverage spending held the largest share of total tourism income at 27%, followed by international transportation at 15.8% and accommodation at 13%. Year-on-year, accommodation expenditures grew the fastest at 21.2%, ahead of health expenditures at 18.4% and food and beverage at 13.7%.
Travel, entertainment, sport, and cultural activities were the primary purpose of visits to Türkiye, cited by 55.3% of visitors. Visiting relatives and friends followed at 26.8%, while shopping accounted for 8.2%. Among Turkish citizens resident abroad, 66.7% visited primarily to see relatives and friends.
The number of Turkish citizens who travelled abroad rose 13.1% year-on-year to 2.94 million in the first quarter. Their total tourism expenditure, however, fell 9.1% compared to the same period in 2025, declining to $2.22 billion. Average spending per capita stood at $758.
Individual outlays made up $1.73 billion of total outbound expenditure, with package tour spending accounting for $493.9 million.
