The Turkish Statistical Institute announced on Tuesday that 10.75 million residents took domestic trips in the first quarter of 2025, spanning January to March.

This marks a significant 28.4% increase in domestic trips with one or more overnights compared to the same period last year, totaling 12.65 million trips. Domestic visitors collectively spent 85.32 million overnights, averaging 6.7 nights per trip.

Spending by domestic tourists soared by 68.9% year-on-year, reaching 76.43 billion TL (Turkish Lira). Of this, 93.5% (71.46 billion TL) was individual expenditure, while 6.5% (4.97 billion TL) went to package tours. The average expenditure per trip was 6,040 TL.

Breaking down the expenditures, food and drink accounted for the largest share at 32%, followed by transportation at 28.4%, and accommodation at 10.8%. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, spending on food and drink rose by 62.5%, transportation by 66.3%, and accommodation by 66.7%.

The primary motivation for these trips was visiting relatives, cited by 71.3% of travelers. Travel, leisure, and vacation were the second most common purpose at 19.6%, with health-related trips making up 5%.

Most domestic visitors stayed at the homes of friends or relatives, totaling 67.65 million overnights. Staying in one’s own house was the second most popular option with 8.84 million overnights, while hotels ranked third with 4.98 million overnights.

The data highlights a robust increase in domestic tourism activity, reflecting both higher participation and spending among Turkish residents in early 2025. (ILKHA)