Türkiye's annualized tourism revenue remained broadly stable in the second quarter despite the Middle East conflict, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said Friday.
Şimşek said resilient services exports helped limit the impact of the Iran war on Türkiye's external balance.
The comments came after data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) showed tourism revenue in the first half of the year edged down 0.1% year-over-year to $25.75 billion (TL 1.22 trillion).
In the April-June period, the income declined 2.6% year-over-year to $15.87 billion.
Of the total, $15.66 billion came from visitor spending, while $209.5 million was generated by transfer passengers. Turkish citizens residing abroad accounted for 15.6% of visitor-related revenue.
Separate data by the Culture and Tourism Ministry showed visitor arrivals fell about 2.4% to 25.76 million in the first six months. That's combined with Turkish citizens residing abroad, whose arrivals rose slightly to almost 5 million.
The number of foreign visitors declined 2.96% to 20.77 million, the data showed. In June, the count fell 4% from a year earlier to 5.54 million.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy echoed Şimşek's view, saying Türkiye had maintained its stability in tourism despite the negative effects of the war.
"We believe we have left the most challenging quarter of this year behind us," Ersoy said.
Despite the weaker visitor numbers, spending per visitor increased.
Average spending per visitor increased 2.5% to $1,005 in the second quarter, while average spending per night rose 2.8% to $113, the TurkStat data showed.
In the first six months, average spending per visitor rose 2.5% to $1,020, while average spending per night increased by the same rate to $108.
Commenting on the figures, Şimşek said annualized tourism revenue stood at $65.2 billion in the second quarter, maintaining the level recorded in 2025 despite adverse geopolitical developments.
"Although the number of visitors declined slightly, average spending per visitor increased compared with last year," Şimşek wrote on the social media platform X.
"As a result, the negative effects of the war on the current account through services exports were limited. Thanks to the structural improvements achieved under our economic program, we expect the current account balance to remain at sustainable levels," he added.
Şimşek said the government was continuing measures to cushion the tourism industry from geopolitical tensions.
He said the accommodation tax had been reduced to 1% from 2%, while an additional TL 60 billion in Treasury-backed financing had been made available under the Tourism Support Package.
The government is also providing a monthly TL 1,270 minimum wage subsidy per employee and an additional TL 3,500 monthly social security premium support for workers employed at facilities holding tourism operating licenses, he said.
Şimşek added that the government would continue policies aimed at expanding higher value-added segments such as health, congress, cultural and sports tourism, extending tourism activity throughout the year and strengthening the sector's international competitiveness.
Meanwhile, outbound tourism spending by Turkish residents rose 7.4% year-over-year to $2.96 billion in the second quarter, the TurkStat data showed.
The number of Turkish residents traveling abroad increased 16.5% to 3.43 million, with average spending per traveler reaching $863.
