Türkiye recorded a 3.58% fall in foreign visitor arrivals in May compared with the same month last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The country received 4.856 million foreign visitors in the month.
Total arrivals in the first 5 months of 2026 reached 17.608 million, including 2.381 million Turkish citizens living abroad and 15.226 million foreign visitors. The number of foreign visitors over the period fell by 2.56% year on year.
Russia sent the most visitors in May, with 701,000 arrivals, followed by Germany with 686,000, the United Kingdom with 493,000, Bulgaria with 266,000 and Iran with 232,000.
Over the January to May period, Germany was the largest source market for Türkiye with 1.835 million visitors. Russia followed with 1.739 million, then the United Kingdom with 1.124 million, Bulgaria with 1.035 million and Iran with 904,000.
The latest figures point to a weaker start to the summer season for one of the world’s most visited destinations. Türkiye has long relied on a broad mix of European and regional markets, with Russia, Germany and the UK typically among its strongest source countries.
The ministry did not give a reason for the decline. The data, however, shows that Turkish tourism remains heavily dependent on arrivals from a small number of major markets, especially in the peak spring and early summer period.
