Türkiye's tourism revenue rises 5% to $25.5B in Q3

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's tourism revenue rose 5% year-on-year to $25.53 billion in the third quarter of 2026, official data showed on Friday.

Revenue generated directly from visitors amounted to $25.29 billion, while transit passenger income contributed $231.96 million, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.

Turkish citizens residing abroad accounted for 14% of total tourism revenue during the July-September period.

Individual expenditures made up $17.11 billion of the quarterly total, while package tour spending stood at $8.18 billion.

The number of departing visitors slipped 1.6% year-on-year to 23.26 million in the third quarter.

Turkish citizens living abroad represented 13.6% of all visitors, totaling 3.16 million people.

Visitors staying overnight spent an average of $107 per night, while the average spending for expatriate Turkish citizens was $68 per night.

Package tours accounted for 32.3% of total expenditures, followed by food and beverages at 20.5% and accommodation at 12.5%.

Health-related expenditures jumped 23.6% compared to the third quarter of 2025, accommodation spending rose 19% and domestic transportation expenses climbed 12.1%.

Travel, entertainment, sports and cultural activities were the primary reasons for visiting Türkiye, cited by 74.5% of visitors, followed by visiting relatives and friends at 16.9% and shopping at 3.7%.

Among expatriate Turkish citizens, visiting relatives and friends was the leading motivation, accounting for 63.9% of visits.

Tourism expenditure, consisting of spending by Turkish residents traveling abroad, surged 22.6% year-on-year to $3.04 billion in the third quarter.

Individual spending abroad totaled $2.57 billion, while package tour expenses accounted for $467.64 million.

The number of Turkish residents traveling abroad increased 24.2% year-on-year to 4.2 million, with an average expenditure of $723 per person.

Gökhan Ergöçün