Turkish sprawling metropolis Istanbul, one of the most visited cities in the world, broke an all-time record in the number of foreign tourists with nearly 17.4 million individuals arriving in 2023, according to the official data shared Tuesday.
The Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate said some 17.37 million visited the vibrant city straddling Europe and Asia throughout last year, indicating an 8.44% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
Leading the list of arrivals to the city were visitors from Russia with 1.99 million, followed by arrivals from Germany with 1.28 million, while Iran came in third with 1.05 million.
Adding to the momentum, besides the top three countries whose tourist counts surpassed the 1 million figure were notable arrivals from the United States (853,766), the United Kingdom (701,361), Saudi Arabia (604,509) and France (589,149).
Türkiye welcomed around 49.2 million foreign tourists in 2023, a year officials dubbed the best year ever for the industry, surpassing the figure of 44.6 million foreigners who arrived in 2022. At the same time, it achieved an all-time high tourism revenue amounting to $54.32 billion, a 17% rise year-over-year.
The foreign exchange it brings in makes tourism income vital to Türkiye's economy, as the government focuses on flipping the current account deficits to a surplus, prioritizing exports, production and investments while curbing inflation.
Arrivals via air contributed the most to the booming figures in Istanbul with a total number of foreigners who arrived this way at 16.96 million, according to the data.
Looking at share among air hubs, it was observed that the new mega Istanbul Airport emerged as the frontrunner, attracting 71.78% of tourists, equivalent to 12.17 million. The remainder of 28.12% or 4.77 million tourists arrived at the city via Sabiha Gökçen Airport, situated on the city's Anatolian side.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors arriving in Istanbul by sea last year was 405,598.
Accounting for nearly a third of all visits to the country in 2023, the culturally rich metropolis and major commercial hub emerged along with the Mediterranean gem Antalya as one of the 10 most visited cities in the world last year, according to a recent report by British Broadcasting Company (BBC) Travel service.
The report, which cited growing travel demand due to the easing effects of COVID-19, listed Türkiye as a prospective destination that is likely to welcome even more tourists in 2024.
"But travelers aren't just headed to Istanbul and Antalya. According to data by the State Airports Authority Directorate General, domestic and international flight landings across Türkiye jumped 16.3% year-over-year in 2023, and the nation seems poised to welcome even more international visitors this year," it said.
It also highlighted the country's strides in medical tourism as some 1.2 million people traveled to Türkiye in 2022 for medical tourism – a 308% increase compared to 2021.