
Tourism inTurkey is focused largely on a variety of historical sites, and on seaside resorts along itsAegean andMediterranean Sea coasts. Turkey has also become a popular destination forculture, spa, and health care.[1] In 2023, Turkey was the fifth most visited country in the world.[2]
At its height in 2024, Turkey attracted around 52.6 million foreign tourists with a record tourism revenue of $61.1 billion.[3] The total number fluctuated between around 41 million in 2015, and around 30 million in 2016.[4][5] However, recovery began in 2017, with the number of foreign visitors increasing to 37.9 million, and in 2018 to 46.1 million visitors.[6][7][8]

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Istanbul is one of the most important tourist spots not only inTurkey but also in the world. There are thousands of hotels and other tourist-oriented industries in the city. Turkey'slargest city, Istanbul has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as the capital of theByzantine andOttoman Empires. These include theSultan Ahmed Mosque (the "Blue Mosque"), theHagia Sophia, theTopkapı Palace, theBasilica Cistern, theDolmabahçe Palace, theGalata Tower, theGrand Bazaar, theSpice Bazaar, and thePera Palace Hotel. Istanbul has also recently become one of the biggest shopping centers of the European region by hosting malls and shopping centers, such asMetroCity,Akmerkez andCevahir Mall, which is the biggest mall in Europe and seventh largest shopping center in the world. Other attractions include sporting events, museums, and cultural events.
In January 2013, the Turkish government announced that it would build the world's largest airport inIstanbul. The operation has an invested 7-billion euros and was planned to have the first part of a four-part plan completed by 2017.[11]
Ankara is the country's capital and second most populated city.[12] It is rich with Turkish history and culture that have roots in the founding of Turkey along with the history of ancient civilizations. The most popular landmark is theAnıtkabir,[13] a mausoleum forAtatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Another landmark would be theMuseum of Anatolian Civilizations, a museum that possesses works fromPaleolithic,Neolithic,Hatti,Hittite,Phrygian,Urartian, andRoman civilizations.[14]
Izmir is a city with historical and geopolitical importance in ancient civilizations such asMacedonia,Persia,Lydia, and theOttomans.[15] The city has a memorable history in the early years of Turkey as it was the main city that was affected by theGreco-Turkish War (1919–1922).[16] Izmir is home to many ancient cities such asEphesus,Pergamon, andKlazomenai.[17] Besides historical significance, Izmir also possesses many locations for coastal tourism for international travelers. Frequently visited regions that have tourist beaches for local and international tourists would beÇeşme,Mordoğan, andFoça.[18][19]


Beach vacations andBlue Cruises, particularly for Turkish delights and visitors fromWestern Europe, are also central to the Turkishtourism industry. Most beach resorts are located along the southwestern and southern coast, called theTurkish Riviera, especially along the Mediterranean coast nearAntalya. Antalya is also accepted as the tourism capital of Turkey.[20] Major resort towns includeBodrum,Fethiye,Marmaris,Kuşadası,Didim andAlanya. Also, Turkey has been chosen second in the world in 2015 with its 436 blue-flagged beaches, according to the Chamber of Shipping.[21]
Attractions elsewhere in the country include the sites ofEphesus,Troy,Pergamon,House of the Virgin Mary,Pamukkale,Hierapolis,Trabzon (where one of the oldest monasteries is theSümela Monastery),Konya (where the poetRumi had spent most of his life),Didyma,Church of Antioch, ancient Pontic capital and king rock tombs with its acropolis inAmasya, religious places inMardin (such asDeyrülzafarân Monastery), and the ruined cities and landscapes ofCappadocia.
One of the most important and famous cities in the east andsoutheast of Turkey is calledDiyarbakır. This city is considered one of the important options for traveling to the east of Turkey due to its numerous historical, religious and cultural places. For researchers who are interested incultural studies, this city is a favorable option for study and research due to the accommodation of different ethnic groups (Kurds, Turks,Arabs,Assyrians,Armenians) and religious groups (Muslims,Christians). Due to the civil wars between thePKK group and thecentral government of Turkey in the 90's, the number of tourists in this region decreased. With the beginning of the 21st century and after the establishment of relative peace and security in these areas, tourism has been increasing again in these areas.[27]

Gallipoli and Anzac Cove – a smallcove on theGallipoli peninsula, which became known as the site ofWorld War I landing of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on 25 April 1915. Following thelanding at Anzac Cove, the beach became the main base for the Australian and New Zealand troops for the eight months of theGallipoli campaign.

As of 2023, Turkey hosts 21UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 19 cultural and 2 mixed.[29]


Turkey's World Heritage Sites, as per their official UNESCO names, are as follows:

An emerging branch of tourism in Turkey ismedical tourism. Commonly performed medical procedures arehair transplant operations,rhinoplasty,cosmetic dentistry,bariatric surgery,buttock augmentation,mammaplasty andmastopexy as it draws in thousands of foreigner tourists every year.[30][31] In 2021, the revenue generated from medical tourism was given as $1.05 billion with 642,000 people that visited for the purpose of getting medical service.[32] This is due to Turkey offering high-quality clinics for affordable pricing compared to the rest of Europe and its central location between Asia and Europe.[33] Other reasons for the high demand for healthcare in Turkey are foreigners having easy visa procedures and immediate scheduling for operations.[1]
Turkey issued 16,199,968 electronic visas between April 2013 and January 1, 2017. The acceptance rate was 87.79% as 18,452,733 applications were filed in this period. Most visas were issued to nationals of theUnited Kingdom (4.6 million),Iraq (2 million) and theNetherlands (1.8 million).[34]
Most tourist arrivals in Turkey come from the following countries:[35][36][8][37][38]
| Country | 11/2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,678,647 | 6,710,198 | 6,313,675 | 5,232,611 | 4,694,422 | 2,128,758 | 7,017,657 | 5,964,631 | |
| 6,479,513 | 6,620,612 | 6,193,259 | 5,679,194 | 3,085,215 | 1,118,932 | 5,027,472 | 4,512,360 | |
| 4,173,846 | 4,433,782 | 3,800,922 | 3,370,739 | 392,746 | 820,709 | 2,562,064 | 2,254,871 | |
| 2,795,287 | 3,277,852 | 2,504,494 | 2,331,076 | 9,618 | 385,762 | 2,102,890 | 2,001,744 | |
| 2,550,113 | 2,918,581 | 2,893,092 | 2,882,512 | 1,402,795 | 1,242,961 | 2,713,464 | 2,386,885 | |
| 1,892,312 | 1,866,986 | 1,539,123 | 1,135,903 | 585,076 | 145,908 | 880,839 | 646,365 | |
| 1,503,953 | 1,442,191 | 1,334,337 | 1,013,478 | 371,759 | 148,937 | 578,074 | 448,327 | |
| 1,226,580 | 1,303,262 | 1,232,220 | 1,244,756 | 645,601 | 271,526 | 1,117,290 | 1,013,642 | |
| 1,221,535 | 1,466,189 | 1,633,978 | 1,514,813 | 291,852 | 410,501 | 1,995,254 | 2,069,392 | |
| 1,116,627 | 1,173,358 | 990,005 | 886,555 | 496,178 | 269,076 | 763,320 | 641,484 | |
| 1,039,438 | 1,088,380 | 1,031,824 | 986,090 | 621,493 | 311,708 | 875,957 | 731,379 | |
| 977,975 | 941,614 | 839,729 | 675,467 | 2,060,008 | 997,652 | 1,547,996 | 1,386,934 | |
| 957,250 | 968,834 | 1,051,721 | 1,208,895 | 836,624 | 387,587 | 1,374,896 | 1,172,896 | |
| 875,275 | 869,453 | 820,683 | 497,914 | 10,083 | 67,490 | 564,816 | 747,233 | |
| 862,975 | 956,178 | 855,445 | 683,834 | 470,618 | 236,797 | 901,723 | 858,506 | |
| 750,344 | 719,668 | 602,176 | 420,661 | 116,806 | 72,619 | 377,011 | 284,195 | |
| 732,244 | 863,542 | 826,319 | 712,136 | 366,076 | 137,213 | 455,724 | 426,916 | |
| 604,184 | 569,818 | 470,644 | 419,673 | 272,604 | 102,598 | 252,138 | 241,235 | |
| 586,888 | 625,263 | 596,355 | 596,173 | 339,529 | 138,729 | 557,435 | 511,559 | |
| 570,240 | 707,133 | 686,480 | 569,795 | 157,723 | 136,305 | 836,882 | 686,891 | |
| 530,941 | 548,794 | 496,482 | 454,638 | 284,095 | 112,126 | 401,475 | 353,628 | |
| 417,226 | 382,896 | 324,690 | 298,165 | 104,848 | 54,381 | 257,342 | 178,018 | |
| 398,119 | 410,280 | 384,158 | 295,454 | 89,734 | 15,642 | 311,359 | 228,251 | |
| 397,180 | 406,357 | 390,044 | 382,835 | 219,591 | 127,643 | 311,107 | 269,649 | |
| 392,724 | 409,733 | 248,119 | 89,515 | 33,641 | 40,264 | 426,344 | 394,109 | |
| 386,128 | 397,201 | 364,984 | 415,696 | 192,872 | 93,703 | 444,285 | 384,397 | |
| 328,710 | 329,796 | 288,377 | 274,257 | 192,441 | 109,137 | 198,867 | 194,268 | |
| 327,113 | 345,198 | 319,835 | 356,127 | 111,499 | 44,694 | 335,877 | 326,278 | |
| 313,950 | 334,796 | 309,216 | 239,966 | 220,932 | 106,426 | 258,419 | 245,254 | |
| 307,974 | 324,042 | 292,505 | 210,478 | 48,827 | 50,121 | 295,512 | 288,207 | |
| 303,521 | 285,026 | 277,810 | 251,619 | 114,227 | 14,194 | 229,704 | 199,371 | |
| 303,506 | 302,728 | 248,868 | 197,416 | 72,034 | 34,210 | 139,164 | 108,272 | |
| 301,369 | 342,002 | 311,738 | 357,787 | 238,852 | 129,284 | 282,347 | 225,312 | |
| 271,491 | 261,608 | 215,137 | 182,945 | 68,353 | 59,808 | 268,341 | 266,859 | |
| 265,325 | 301,641 | 384,680 | 494,629 | 326,633 | 93,750 | 474,874 | 406,469 | |
| 264,938 | 266,978 | 228,407 | 196,462 | 37,963 | 8,648 | 207,108 | 157,003 | |
| 259,392 | 252,066 | 222,327 | 165,842 | 76,257 | 16,563 | 149,523 | 123,448 | |
| 231,312 | 330,985 | 274,159 | 231,579 | 52,651 | 44,707 | 230,131 | 147,127 | |
| 226,736 | 246,626 | 251,066 | 266,184 | 182,045 | 115,483 | 222,862 | 209,519 | |
| 225,687 | 261,713 | 257,781 | 272,844 | 191,768 | 89,337 | 376,721 | 338,837 | |
| 213,579 | 195,899 | 163,165 | 136,608 | 36,947 | 26,176 | 96,886 | 71,221 | |
| 211,459 | 206,931 | 159,039 | 99,869 | 15,206 | 36,636 | 212,970 | 159,354 | |
| 210,845 | 236,764 | 262,124 | 251,708 | 121,333 | 67,775 | 234,264 | 176,538 | |
| 210,104 | 205,874 | 192,770 | 118,847 | 15,674 | 15,109 | 120,837 | 96,488 | |
| 204,637 | 222,994 | 203,325 | 191,789 | 54,633 | 25,100 | 208,330 | 161,789 | |
| 199,781 | 231,097 | 187,053 | 227,850 | 124,483 | 68,936 | 177,655 | 148,943 | |
| 199,670 | 209,853 | 174,681 | 193,823 | 145,931 | 70,462 | 152,048 | 139,500 | |
| 198,903 | 264,440 | 363,070 | 480,123 | 246,249 | 120,221 | 374,191 | 298,620 | |
| 186,604 | 202,456 | 178,800 | 152,995 | 49,319 | 36,690 | 127,149 | 119,337 | |
| 184,023 | 153,688 | 120,928 | 45,249 | 18,979 | 43,236 | 297,706 | 252,911 | |
| 183,725 | 195,899 | 169,906 | 147,487 | 102,840 | 52,142 | 121,364 | 114,926 | |
| 178,248 | 197,388 | 177,893 | 200,698 | 131,347 | 61,651 | 144,445 | 120,480 | |
| 175,305 | 220,497 | 194,351 | 220,179 | 197,983 | 107,251 | 259,243 | 188,312 | |
| 150,897 | 159,828 | 142,482 | 145,032 | 89,748 | 49,667 | 134,869 | 125,935 | |
| 148,867 | 135,653 | 78,782 | 30,610 | 7,153 | 19,122 | 103,320 | 81,931 | |
| 143,257 | 182,053 | 176,547 | 206,714 | 126,970 | 57,563 | 172,587 | 142,372 | |
| 133,627 | 135,653 | 140,388 | 173,621 | 90,681 | 51,326 | 130,736 | 113,579 | |
| 133,059 | 117,402 | 112,165 | 97,240 | 44,760 | 9,392 | 86,051 | 65,868 | |
| 132,625 | 142,963 | 155,155 | 114,267 | 34,705 | 12,775 | 66,557 | 36,737 | |
| 120,894 | 123,414 | 117,123 | 117,281 | 32,809 | 15,003 | 135,192 | 128,860 | |
| 118,984 | 129,071 | 120,347 | 97,954 | 55,397 | 48,440 | 139,126 | 95,068 | |
| 116,779 | 99,838 | 81,401 | 74,812 | 26,379 | 12,893 | 54,130 | 39,948 | |
| 113,071 | 120,201 | 106,717 | 84,582 | 17,788 | 22,722 | 101,164 | 78,691 | |
| 112,088 | 98,404 | 91,625 | 93,209 | 47,597 | 5,113 | 77,041 | 61,707 | |
| 109,467 | 85,949 | 765,776 | 843,028 | 225,238 | 129,677 | 569,368 | 443,732 | |
| 92,870 | 93,132 | 95,444 | 89,766 | 9,618 | 17,892 | 114,214 | 95,591 | |
| 85,095 | 99,992 | 120,819 | 146,438 | 52,587 | 3,772 | 37,500 | 43,292 | |
| 83,415 | 62,440 | 60,579 | 77,863 | 30,094 | 10,601 | 70,974 | 56,031 | |
| 74,243 | 64,815 | 56,618 | 61,327 | 29,464 | 16,566 | 56,465 | 44,188 | |
| 71,202 | 50,590 | 43,278 | 41,708 | 6,992 | 7,228 | 64,483 | 68,668 | |
| 65,188 | 61,673 | 58,672 | 71,636 | 6,088 | 12,251 | 74,652 | 53,544 | |
| 54,491 | 51,903 | 47,808 | 48,622 | 18,580 | 8,108 | 50,414 | 40,716 | |
| 47,186 | 53,144 | 54,899 | 98,147 | 62,730 | 17,852 | 90,299 | 77,075 | |
| 46,062 | 39,521 | 31,646 | 29,814 | 6,687 | 8,163 | 62,192 | 54,098 | |
| 45,685 | 48,432 | 61,248 | 92,439 | 83,831 | 31,956 | 108,496 | 96,327 | |
| 39,023 | 32,562 | 28,327 | 15,448 | 2,746 | 2,879 | 20,912 | 16,174 | |
| 32,632 | 22,073 | 23,385 | 17,333 | 3,815 | 3,320 | 18,509 | 14,609 | |
| 32,283 | 27,088 | 26,935 | 30,602 | 2,951 | 4,912 | 34,930 | 28,382 | |
| 29,749 | 28,065 | 24,419 | 29,417 | 20,812 | 11,441 | 27,639 | 24,183 | |
| 28,189 | 23,160 | 19,115 | 18,395 | 11,446 | 3,473 | 11,738 | 9,246 | |
| 28,179 | 27,615 | 31,589 | 34,599 | 21,856 | 13,354 | 41,673 | 39,545 | |
| 27,590 | 27,031 | 27,788 | 36,445 | 10,178 | 9,309 | 66,882 | 51,880 | |
| 26,976 | 22,691 | 19,794 | 24,335 | 8,226 | 5,634 | 20,605 | 17,932 | |
| 21,069 | 30,033 | 65,367 | 74,101 | 41,440 | 16,972 | 44,155 | 40,879 | |
| 18,501 | 15,979 | 14,582 | 13,186 | 8,499 | 2,228 | 10,957 | 7,716 | |
| 14,858 | 13,339 | 12,261 | 16,321 | 7,163 | 3,258 | 8,739 | 8,287 | |
| 14,400 | 14,940 | 12,444 | 11,254 | 2,471 | 2,207 | 12,355 | 10,516 | |
| 14,341 | 13,077 | 18,032 | 43,192 | 25,965 | 10,555 | 17,863 | 15,661 | |
| 6,965 | 4,297 | 3,656 | 4,070 | 962 | 541 | 3,966 | 2,935 | |
| Total | 50,057,225 | 52,629,283 | 49,209,180 | 44,564,395 | 24,712,266 | 12,734,213 | 45,058,286 | 39,488,401 |

Foreign tourist arrivals increased substantially in Turkey between 2000 and 2005, from 8 million to 25 million, which made Turkey a top-10 destination in the world for foreign visitors. 2005 revenues wereUS$20.3 billion which also made Turkey one of the top-10 biggest revenue owners in the world. In 2011, Turkey ranked as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world and 4th in Europe, according toUNWTO World Tourism barometer.[39] SeeWorld Tourism rankings. At its height in 2014, Turkey attracted around 42 million foreign tourists, still ranking as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world.[40] From 2015, tourism to Turkey entered a steep decline.[41][42] In 2016, only around 30 million people visited Turkey. 2016 is described as the second year of huge losses on both visitor numbers and income, a "year of devastating losses", with Turkish tourism businesses stating that they "cannot remember a worse time in the sector".[4] The number of foreign visitors started recovering in 2017 with 37.9 million visitors being recorded. The recovery was partly due to intense security campaigns and advertising. The number of Russian tourists increased by 444% after the recovery of bilateral relations, resulting in Russia becoming the top tourism market for Turkey once again.[6][7] Increases were also recorded in the British, Dutch and Belgian markets.[43]
In early 2017, the Turkish government urged Turkish citizens living abroad to take their vacations in Turkey, attempting to revive the struggling tourism sector[44] of an economy that went into contraction from late 2016.[45] After the April 2017constitutional referendum, another sharp drop in tourist bookings from Germany was recorded.[46] In 2018, however, the German Tourism Industry Association recorded a growth in German tourist bookings for Turkey, with a 70% increase being recorded by theTUI Group alone.[47]

TheAKP government has been promoting "halal tourism" for years,[48] politically reaffirming this stance over the course of 2016.[49] In March 2017, a Turkish court banned global travel fare aggregator websiteBooking.com from offering services to Turkish tourists for lack of a national licence,[50] while the Hoteliers Association of Turkey campaigns for a lifting the ban of the enterprise on which its members relied for up to 90 percent of their turnover.[51] In April 2017, the police department of the prime resort city ofAntalya issued a directive banning the consumption of alcohol outside of buildings.[52]
Prostitution is legal and regulated in Turkey. Thesecularization of Turkish society allowed prostitution to achieve legal status during the early 20th century.Sex tourism has been part of Turkey's tourism industry and has been growing over the decades both for foreigners and locals. Many foreigners come to Turkey to work for local Turks in the prostitution business, while many Turks travel abroad as consumers of sex tourism, mostly to Eastern Europe for the purpose. Sexual exploitation of children have also been reported.[53] Anyone who encourages someone to commit prostitution, facilitates it, or mediates or provides a place for prostitution is punished with imprisonment from two months to four years and a judicial fine of up to three thousand days.[54][55]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the number of tourists arriving inTurkey declined to around 16 million in 2020.[56] This was the lowest number of tourists in the last decade.[56] The revenue from international travel was reduced to $13.7 billion which only made up 1.91% of the total economy in 2020.[57][58] In 2021, Turkey's tourism recovered from the pandemic as it contributed $59.3 billion to the GDP, which made up 7.3% of the total economy.[59][60]