In July, Turkey experienced a 2.6 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals compared to the same month last year, reaching a total of 7.3 million visitors, according to the latest figures from the Culture and Tourism Ministry. This boost in tourism continued a positive trend observed throughout the year, with the total number of international visitors from January to July rising by 8.27 percent year-on-year to reach 28.98 million.
When accounting for 4.49 million Turkish citizens returning from abroad, the cumulative number of visitors to Turkey climbed to 33.47 million.
The renowned resort city of Antalya, located on the Turkish Riviera, led the influx of foreign tourists, drawing 2.6 million visitors. Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, was the second most visited destination, attracting 1.9 million tourists. The northwestern province of Edirne, which shares borders with Bulgaria and Greece, came in third with 803,351 foreign visitors in July.
Among nationalities, Germans constituted the largest group of international visitors to Turkey, surpassing 1 million and marking a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Russians followed as the second-largest group, with 922,294 visitors in July, reflecting a 4.2 percent rise compared to the previous year. Britons ranked third with 660,906 visitors, while Poles were fourth with 319,552 visitors.
