Türkiye's tourism revenues reached a record high for both the third quarter and the first nine months of the year, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Friday.
Income rose 5% year-over-year to $25.5 billion (TL 1.28 trillion) in the July-September period, while it climbed 2.4% to nearly $51.3 billion in the first nine months, Ersoy told a news conference on the sector's performance.
Ersoy said Türkiye was on track to generate more than $65 billion in full-year tourism revenues.
"Longer-than-expected average stays and higher overnight spending have boosted tourism revenues," he noted.
The number of visitors fell 1% year-over-year to 23.37 million in the third quarter, while total arrivals reached 49.13 million in the January-September period, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data showed.
Separately, data from the Tourism Ministry showed that the number of foreign visitors rose 0.4% year-over-year to 6.11 million in September. However, foreign arrivals fell 1.52% to 40.93 million in the first nine months of the year.
Russians accounted for the largest group of foreign visitors in September, with 979,647 arrivals, followed by visitors from Germany, Britain, Iran and Poland.
Revenue generated directly from visitors amounted to $25.29 billion in the July-September quarter, while transit passenger income contributed $231.96 million, the TurkStat data showed.
Turkish citizens residing abroad accounted for 14% of total revenue.
Individual expenditures made up $17.1 billion of the total, while package tour spending stood at $8.2 billion.
Average visitor stays stood at 10.34 nights in the first nine months and 10.69 nights in the third quarter.
Average spending per night rose 4.6% year-over-year to $107.70 in the nine months, with foreign tourists spending an average of $119.90.
Tourism expenditure, consisting of spending by Turkish residents traveling abroad, surged 22.6% year-over-year to over $3 billion in the third quarter.
Individual spending totaled $2.57 billion, while package tour expenses accounted for $467.64 million.
The number of Turkish residents traveling abroad increased 24.2% year-over-year to 4.2 million, with an average expenditure of $723 per person.
Warning of risks
Ersoy said average visitor stays continued to exceed expectations, but warned of risks to the sector in the final quarter, including a possible escalation of the Iran war and its spillover into Saudi Arabia, as well as an increase in drone attacks on cities amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
He noted that regional conflicts, airspace restrictions and rising energy prices have driven up aviation costs and pressured international travel demand throughout the year.
"While all these negative developments are occurring in our region, Türkiye stands out as an island of stability through its strong state structure, diplomatic capacity and efforts for peace and stability led by our president," Ersoy said.
"When activity slows in one market, we can intensify our efforts in other markets and replan our promotional and marketing activities according to developments," he added.
Looking ahead, Ersoy stated that Türkiye will intensify efforts in high-growth-potential markets, including the U.S., Canada, Asia, Africa and Australia, while expanding direct flight capacity in partnership with Turkish Airlines and tour operators.
He also emphasized that the ministry will make more effective use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) applications to monitor market demand, visitor preferences and campaign results.
Türkiye welcomed a record 52.78 million foreign tourists last year, according to official data. Combined with Turkish citizens living abroad, the count rose to a new all-time high of 63.94 million.
In 2025, revenues increased by 6.8% from the previous year to a record $65.2 billion, surpassing the government's Medium-Term Program (OVP) target of $64 billion. Before the Iran war began, the target for this year was $68 billion.
Lower revenues could add to Türkiye's current account deficit, which is already under pressure from soaring energy prices due to the fallout from the Iran war.
The war has hurt demand for travel to Türkiye's historic sites and Mediterranean beaches.
Tourism is a vital industry that Türkiye relies on to help flip its chronic current account deficit to a surplus.
The sector contributes about 10% to Türkiye's gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for about 5% of total employment.