According to the data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, İstanbul hosted 16 million 51 thousand foreign visitors in the first 11 months of 2023, showing a 9.09% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
In November alone, İstanbul hosted 1 million 288 thousand foreign visitors. The highest number of foreign visitors in November came from the Russian Federation with 135 thousand, followed by Germany with 89 thousand, Iran with 88 thousand, the United States with 61 thousand, the United Kingdom with 51 thousand, Saudi Arabia with 48 thousand, and France with 43 thousand.
Among Arab countries, in terms of foreign visitors to Istanbul in November, Saudi Arabia ranked first, followed by Iraq, Algeria, and Morocco. Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia followed in that order.
The preferred entry point for foreign visitors in November was İstanbul Airport. Out of the total foreign visitors to Istanbul in November, 72.67% chose Istanbul Airport, amounting to 905 thousand people. During the first 11 months of the year, İstanbul Airport hosted 11 million 258 thousand foreign visitors.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport saw 4 million 384 thousand foreign entries in the first 11 months, with 339 thousand in November. It became the second most popular entry point for foreign visitors to Istanbul by air, constituting 27.22% of those arriving by air.
The total number of foreign visitors arriving by air in Istanbul in November was 1 million 245 thousand, while 43 thousand arrived by sea.
According to the latest accommodation statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of arrivals at certified facilities in October reached a total of 1 million 224 thousand. These facilities recorded a total of 2 million 711 thousand overnight stays, with an average length of stay of 2.22 days.
The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities in İstanbul in October was 56.78%.
