The number of international visitors to Istanbul showed an increase of 8.08% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Hosting half of the 4,341,606 international visitors to Türkiye in the first two months, Istanbul was the top choice for Russians in February.
According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul became the powerhouse of Turkish tourism with a 19.14% increase to 1,291,522 international visitors in February compared to the same month last year.
The largest group of visitors in February was from the Russian Federation, with 138,957 visitors, followed by Germany with 95,465 visitors, Iran with 75,312, and the United Kingdom with 56,430 visitors. France, Saudi Arabia, and the United States followed in order, with 48,902, 43,415, and 41,472 visitors respectively.
Istanbul Airport: The first choice for International visitors
Istanbul Airport was the preferred entry point for international visitors in February.
The airport was chosen by 904,642 international visitors in February, accounting for 70.27% of all international arrivals by air to Istanbul.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport also saw significant traffic, with 381,508 international arrivals, making it the second busiest entry point and representing 29.64% of the international air arrivals to the city.
The number of international visitors arriving by air in February increased by 19.17% to 1,287,290 compared to February 2023.
The number of visitors arriving in Istanbul by sea was 4,232 in February, marking an increase of 11.19% compared to the same month of the previous year.
