The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) revealed on Wednesday that 20 million 453 thousand residents embarked on domestic trips during the third quarter of 2024, spanning July to September.

The number of domestic trips, which included at least one overnight stay, increased by 8% compared to the same period last year, totaling 25 million 684 thousand trips. These trips resulted in 224 million 68 thousand overnight stays, with an average of 8.7 nights per trip.

Spending by domestic tourists also saw a significant rise, escalating by 79.7% from the previous year, reaching a hefty 204 billion 883 million 376 thousand TL. Individual spending accounted for 83.8% of this amount, equating to 171 billion 783 million 134 thousand TL, while package tours contributed 16.2% or 33 billion 100 million 241 thousand TL. The average expenditure per trip was 7,977 TL.

Breaking down the expenditure, the largest shares went to eating and drinking (30.1%), accommodation (20.7%), and transportation (20.6%). Year-over-year increases were notable in these categories: eating and drinking expenditures rose by 70.6%, accommodation by 71.4%, and transportation by 57.9%.

The primary motivation for these journeys was visiting relatives, accounting for 47.9% of trips. Travel, leisure, and vacation followed closely at 47.3%, while health-related trips constituted 2.2% of the total.

Regarding accommodation, domestic visitors predominantly stayed at friends' or relatives' homes, accumulating 135 million 889 thousand overnight stays. Staying at one's own house was the second choice with 46 million 340 thousand overnights, and hotels were third with 24 million 19 thousand overnights.

This data reflects a robust domestic tourism sector in Turkey during the summer months of 2024, highlighting both economic growth and a cultural tendency to maintain close familial ties. (ILKHA)