Domestic tourism spending in Turkey more than doubled in 2023 as domestic travel remained booming despite rising inflation.
In particular, domestic travelers’ spending reached 229.8 billion Turkish lira last year, an increase of 101% from 2022, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
Throughout the year, Turks made 61.46 million domestic trips, up 17.5% from a year earlier, and increased their overnight stays by 10.9% to just over 473 million. The average length of stay was 7.7 nights.
The strong tourism figures came despite soaring costs amid persistently high inflation, which is currently running at almost 70%. Inflation closed 2023 at around 65% year-on-year.
Locals made 11.51 million domestic trips, including one or more overnight stays, in the fourth quarter alone, according to TurkStat data, about 32% more than in the same period in 2022. And they recorded 77.5 million overnight stays, with an average stay of 6.7 nights.
During these trips, 45.7 billion Turkish Lira was spent, an increase of 140% compared to a year ago.
Personal spending accounted for 91% of total spending in 2023, with package tours making up 9%. Meanwhile, the average spend per trip rose to 3,739 Turkish pounds.
In the fourth quarter, personal expenditure accounted for 93% of the total amount, while package tours accounted for 7%. As for the average expenditure, it amounted to 3,974 Turkish lira.
Food and beverages held the largest share of annual expenditure at 32%, an increase of 111% from 2022. This was followed by transport at 26.3%, with an annual increase of 72%, and accommodation at 17%, registering an annual increase of 164.3%.
Arrivals from abroad reached a record 49.2 million in 2023, up from 44.6 million travelers visiting Turkey in 2022, with travel from Russia and Europe, driven by Germany, leading the increase.
Combined with almost 7.5 million Turkish citizens living abroad, the number of visitors increased to 56.7 million.
Tourism revenues “climbed” to an all-time high of $54.32 billion in 2023, up from $46.48 billion in 2022.
The Turkish government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year, before “soaring” to 90 million in 2028. Similarly, tourism revenues are projected to grow to $60 billion this year and reach $100 billion in five years.
