Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the country's tourism statistics for the first half of 2026 at a press conference held in Istanbul on July 31. According to the data, 25.8 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in the first six months of the current year. During this period, the country's tourism revenue remained stable compared to last year's figures, amounting to 25.8 billion US dollars.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that regional tensions and global uncertainties had a certain impact on tourism demand in the first half of 2026.

“Although Turkey has not been involved in these conflicts and all our airlines and airports have continued to operate without interruption, the closure of Middle Eastern airspace has led to a certain decline in tourist flow. While Turkey welcomed 26.4 million tourists in the first six months of 2025, this figure stood at 25.8 million during the same period this year. The second half of the year has started positively, and according to current forecasts, results are expected to improve significantly by the end of the year. As a result of strategic initiatives, we managed to maintain tourism revenues at the 2025 level and concluded the first half of the year with a revenue of 25.8 billion US dollars,” the minister said.

Furthermore, the average length of stay for tourists in Turkey has also increased. This indicator rose by 0.5 percent, reaching 10.01 nights. The average expenditure per night increased by 2.6 percent, amounting to 109 US dollars.

The list of countries from which the most tourists visited Turkey remains unchanged. The Russian Federation ranks first (2.65 million), followed by Germany (2.44 million) and the United Kingdom (1.58 million).