Tourist arrivals to Türkiye up in Q1, revenues rise despite Iran war

Foreign tourist arrivals to Türkiye surged in the first quarter of the year, and revenues also rose to nearly $10 billion despite the regional tensions, official data showed on Thursday.

In March alone, the number of foreign visitors arriving in Türkiye rose 5% year-over-year to 2.46 million people, while it rose 2.2% to 6.84 million people in the first quarter, data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed.

March data contributed to the positive picture for the tourism sector, a significant source of income for the Turkish economy. Arrivals rebounded in March after a drop of around 2% in February and an annual rise of around 3.5% in January.

Combined with Turkish citizens living abroad, the number of visitors was around 9.22 million in the first quarter, marking an increase of 4.25% compared to the same period last year, when total visits stood at some 8.84 million.

The arrivals of Turkish nationals saw a surge of nearly 10.6% in the January-March period, reaching 2.38 million.

The country’s tourism revenues also rose 4.2% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026 to nearly $9.9 billion, approaching the threshold of $10 billion.

Presenting the data at a news conference in Istanbul, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy emphasized the importance of how crisis periods are managed, underscoring positive performance and pointing to Türkiye being “an island of stability in its region.”

“The figures clearly demonstrate not only that Türkiye is a strong destination in tourism but also that it has a high capacity for crisis management,” Ersoy said.

“Crises may always occur in our region, and they will, but what is crucial is how such periods are managed. Last year, we faced similar global developments and regional uncertainties. Despite this, thankfully, we closed 2025 with 64 million visitors and $65.2 billion in tourism income,” he noted.

Explaining that the effects of Ramadan and the U.S.-Israel-Iran war were felt in February and March tourism figures, the minister noted that despite this, the number of visitors in March still rose.

“If there had been no effects of the war, we would have seen strong double-digit growth in March,” he furthered.

Ersoy also informed that the top countries in terms of total number of visitors in the first quarter were Germany with 678,000 visitors, followed by Russia with 651,000, Bulgaria with 539,000, Iran with 527,000, and the United Kingdom with 314,000 visitors.

However, he suggested that they foresee a different picture when looking ahead, pointing out that the war effects could be felt more in the second quarter.

“We can see that a difficult second quarter lies ahead, during which the negative effects of the war will be deeply felt,” Ersoy said.

He also said that a lasting cease-fire in the region is key for tourism recovery, adding that last-minute bookings will be prominent during this period.

“Uncertainty during the conflict … points to a period in which last-minute bookings will be prevalent in tourist travel,” he said. “If a permanent cease-fire is established, we anticipate a rapid recovery”.

In 2025, revenues increased by 6.8% from the previous year to a record high of $65.2 billion, according to official data. The government targets $68 billion in tourism revenues this year, according to an economic program announced last year.

DAILYSABAH