Türkiye’s tourism sector continued its growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2025 (July–September), with tourism income increasing by 3.9% year-on-year to reach 24.26 billion dollars, according to official statistics.

The majority of this revenue, 24.05 billion dollars, came from visitors, while transfer passengers contributed 211 million dollars. Notably, 16.1% of visitor-related income was generated by Turkish citizens residing abroad.

Tourists visiting Türkiye traveled either individually or through package tours. Individual expenditures accounted for 15.98 billion dollars, whereas package tour expenditures contributed 8.07 billion dollars.

During the quarter, the number of departing visitors increased by 1.9% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 23.64 million people. Turkish citizens living abroad made up 14.5% of total visitors, numbering 3.44 million.

The average expenditure per night for visitors departing from Türkiye was 100 dollars, while Turkish citizens living abroad spent an average of 64 dollars per night.

Package tours represented 33.6% of total tourism income, with food and beverage contributing 19.9% and international transport 11.1%. Compared with Q3 2024, health-related expenditures increased 20.3%, accommodation spending rose 17.3%, and food and beverage expenses climbed 14.8%.

Visitors primarily engaged in travel, entertainment, sports, and cultural activities, accounting for 73.8% of trips. The second most common purpose was visiting relatives and friends (17.3%), followed by shopping (3.7%). For Turkish citizens residing abroad, visiting relatives and friends remained the main motivation (59.9%).

Tourism expenditure by Turkish citizens traveling abroad surged 32.3% year-on-year to 2.48 billion dollars, with 2.03 billion dollars in individual expenditures and 444.6 million dollars from package tours.

The number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad increased by 3%, reaching 3.38 million people, with an average expenditure of 733 dollars per capita.

These figures indicate a robust recovery in Türkiye’s tourism sector, highlighting growth in both inbound tourism and outbound spending by Turkish citizens abroad. (ILKHA)