Domestic tourism in Türkiye recorded strong growth during the first quarter of 2026, with more than 11.5 million residents taking overnight trips across the country and total travel spending surpassing TL102.3 billion, according to the latest figures.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reported that 11.52 million residents undertook domestic trips between January and March. The number of domestic trips involving at least one overnight stay rose 12% year-on-year to 14.168 million. These trips generated a total of 73.622 million overnight stays, with visitors averaging 5.2 nights per trip.

Spending by domestic tourists jumped sharply, increasing 33.9% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 102 billion 312 million 286 thousand Turkish lira.

Individual expenditures accounted for the vast majority of spending at 92.4% (94 billion 552 million 386 thousand TL), while package tour expenditures made up 7.6% (7 billion 759 million 900 thousand TL). The average expenditure per trip stood at 7,221 TL.

Eating and drinking remained the largest expense category, representing 30.9% of total travel expenditures. This was followed by transportation at 27.6% and clothing and giftware at 12.4%.

Year-on-year increases were notable across major categories: eating and drinking expenditures rose 29.1%, transportation climbed 30.1%, and clothing and giftware surged 62.2%.

Visiting relatives continued to dominate as the main reason for domestic travel, accounting for 68.1% of trips. Travel, leisure, and vacation purposes ranked second at 22.3%, while health-related trips came in third at 4.1%.

When it came to accommodation, domestic visitors overwhelmingly preferred staying with friends or relatives, logging 59.228 million overnight stays in this category. Hotels ranked second with 5.652 million overnights, followed by stays in their own homes with 5.461 million overnights.

The latest figures indicate that domestic tourism continued to expand during the opening months of 2026, driven by rising travel activity, higher consumer spending, and sustained demand for visits to family and relatives across the country. (ILKHA)