Monday, August 12, 2024 The Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, has revealed the tourism statistics for the first half of 2024. During this period, nearly 1.8 million tourists from the UK traveled to Türkiye, representing a remarkable 19% growth compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
At a press conference held in Istanbul, Minister Ersoy announced that Türkiye experienced a 13.9% rise in international visitors during the first six months of 2024. By the end of June 2024, the total number of tourists visiting Türkiye had reached 26.
1 million. Türkiye’s tourism revenue also saw significant growth, increasing by 9.3% to reach £18.
5 billion. The average daily expenditure per visitor in Türkiye climbed to £76. Minister Ersoy emphasized that these results for the first half of the year are in line with Türkiye’s ambitious year-end goals of welcoming 60 million visitors and generating £47 billion in revenue.
Türkiye continues to see robust growth in its primary markets Traditional strongholds such as Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom continued to show robust growth, with tourists flocking to Türkiye’s popular destinations including Antalya, İstanbul, İzmir, and Muğla. More than 2.7 million Russian tourists chose Türkiye for their holidays, marking a 3% increase between January and June 2024.
German tourist arrivals surpassed 2.5 million, reflecting a 9% growth in this market. The UK, Türkiye’s third-largest market, recorded a 19% increase, with almost 1.
8 million British visitors arriving in the first half of the year. Türkiye also saw the most substantial growth in the Chinese market, welcoming over 187,000 visitors, an impressive 111% rise from the previous year. Additionally, more than 56,000 Japanese tourists visited Türkiye in the first half of 2024, which is a 96% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Rising demand for cultural heritage The unique historical, cultural, and archaeological heritage of Türkiye continues to draw interest globally. In the first six months of 2024, Türkiye’s museums and historical sites attracted nearly 14 million visitors, reflecting a 12% increase from the previous year. The most popular heritage sites during this period included Ephesus in İzmir, the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Hierapolis & Pamukkale in Denizli, as well as Göreme and Zelve/Paşabağları in Cappadocia/Nevşehir.
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