According to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of visitors to Türkiye in March 2024 increased by 19.65 percent compared to the same month of the previous year and reaching 3.388 million.
During this month, the highest number of visitors to Türkiye came from Germany with 357,000, followed by 309,000 from Iran, 248,000 from Russia, 229,000 from Bulgaria, and 145,000 from the United Kingdom.
Russia fell to third place
The number of visitors to Türkiye between January and March, a three-month period, increased by 16.68% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 9.067 million. Out of these visitors, 2.024 million were Turkish citizens residing abroad, while 7.042 million were foreign visitors.
Iran led the way in sending the most visitors to Türkiye in the first quarter with 747,000, followed by Germany with 688,000, Russia with 682,000, Bulgaria with 575,000, and Georgia with 329,000.
Average length of stay: 11.1 nights
Speaking at a press conference at the Atatürk Cultural Center, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated:
"The per capita overnight spending in the first quarter, which was $84 last year, has increased to $93 this quarter. The target per capita overnight spending for 2024 is $103. We have reached the highest per capita overnight spending figure in Turkish history.
While an average of 8 nights of stay was recorded in the first quarter of 2023, 11.1 nights of stay were recorded in the same period of 2024. Our end-of-year stay target is an average of 9.7 nights.
Tourism revenue for the first quarter of 2023 was revised to $8.3 billion. Revenue for this quarter was recorded at $8.8 billion. It is expected that tourism revenue will reach $60 billion for the year, marking the highest level in tourism revenue.
The target for the Scandinavian market was a 15% growth, but we achieved a 25% growth in the first quarter. In Asia-Pacific, the target was 54, which increased to 63. In North America, the targeted 17% growth was achieved in the first quarter."
