Türkiye’s tourism sector continued to record declines in visitor arrivals in August and during the first eight months of 2026, according to figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Foreign visitor arrivals to Türkiye fell by 0.03% year on year in August to 6.95 million. During the first eight months of the year, arrivals decreased by 1.84% to 34.83 million.
The decline means Türkiye recorded a loss of approximately 655,000 visitors during the January-August period.
Russia remained the leading source market
Russia was Türkiye’s largest source market in August, with 1.05 million visitors. Germany followed with 982,000, while the UK recorded 590,000 arrivals. Number of visitors coming from Iran 384.000 while Poland sends approximately 324,000 visitors.
For the first eight months, Russia ranked first with 4.72 million visitors, followed by Germany with 4.39 million and the UK with 2.71 million.
Iran ranked fourth with 1.91 million visitors, followed by Bulgaria with 1.74 million.
The eight-month figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show declines across a number of key and emerging markets, particularly in Europe and OECD countries.
European visitor losses exceed 500,000
Türkiye welcomed 4.39 million visitors from Germany during the first eight months, down 0.20% year on year. Arrivals from the UK fell 9.60% to 2.71 million, while the Netherlands recorded a 0.26% decline to 932,000.
Visitor numbers from France fell 6.37% to 746,000, Italy declined 1.36% to 541,000, and Poland decreased 3.90% to 1.31 million. Arrivals from Greece fell 5.4% to 366,000.
Overall, Türkiye recorded a 3.49% decline in arrivals from European-OECD countries during the first eight months, representing a loss of more than 500,000 visitors.
Russia and CIS markets continued to grow
Despite the overall decline, Türkiye recorded increases in several major Russian and CIS markets.
Arrivals from Russia increased 3.59% to 4.72 million during the first eight months. Visitors from Ukraine rose 5.38% to 725,000, while arrivals from Kazakhstan increased 5.17% to 603,000. Azerbaijan recorded a marginal 0.16% increase to 640,000 visitors. Moldova was an exception, with arrivals falling 16.71% to 205,000.
Long-haul markets largely recorded declines
Türkiye also experienced declines across several important long-haul markets. Arrivals from the United States fell 6.59% to 960,000, while Australia recorded a 1.56% decline to 143,000. Canada was among the markets to record growth, with arrivals increasing 2.89% to 209,000. Visitor numbers from Japan fell 18.93% to 84,000, while arrivals from South Korea declined 17.76% to 117,000.
Gulf and Middle Eastern markets declined
Türkiye received 2.41 million visitors from the Middle East and Gulf region during the first eight months, representing a 6.95% decline.
Among the region’s major markets, arrivals from the United Arab Emirates fell 32%, Saudi Arabia declined 11%, and Jordan decreased 10%. Lebanon recorded a 7% decline, while arrivals from Iraq remained unchanged compared with the same period last year.
China arrivals rise 35%
China was among the markets showing strong growth for Türkiye. Arrivals from China increased 35% year on year to 363,000 during the first eight months. The number of Chinese visitors is expected to reach 500,000 by the end of the year.
India records another sharp decline
Visitor numbers from Iran fell 1.70% to 1.91 million during the January-August period. India recorded a much sharper decline, with arrivals falling 21.31% to 136,000. The decline means the Indian market has lost close to 180,000 visitors over the past two years.
