The number of foreign tourists in Turkey between January and November reached 50 million, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on December 22.
The increase in arrivals is estimated at 0.03% compared to the same period last year. In November alone, arrivals of foreign tourists increased by 2.6% year-over-year, reaching 2.8 million.
Russians made up the largest group of foreign visitors, with 6.7 million arrivals in the first 11 months of 2025, reflecting an annual increase of 2.7%. The Germans and the Turks follow. Turkey also hosted 2.8 million Iranians, a 7.5% decrease year-over-year, and 2.55 million Bulgarians, a 5% decrease.
Istanbul remained the country’s top destination, attracting 17.5 million visitors, followed by Antalya, the Mediterranean tourism hub, with 15.75 million.
According to Turkish media at an event in Antalya on Saturday, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that tourism revenues reached $50 billion from January to September, marking the highest nine-month total ever recorded, reported Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu Agency. However, Turkey is on track to exceed its revenue target of $64 billion by the end of the year, attributing the strong performance to a well-planned and coordinated strategy. He added that tourism promotion activities have been carried out in almost 200 countries.
