Turkish metropolis Istanbul, one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide, welcomed a record 5.24 million tourists in the first four months of the year, official data showed on Tuesday, continuing the buoyant period that saw it break annual figures in the number of visitors hosted in 2023.
The number of foreign visitors to Istanbul from January through April surged 9.94% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Only in April, the city hosted 1.48 million tourists, compared to 1.29 million in the same month last year, resulting in a surge of 14.6% year-over-year, the data showed.
Leading the list of nations with the most arrivals to Istanbul last month was Russia, with 167,824 tourists, followed by Germany and Iran. Some 109,202 Germans visited Türkiye’s largest city in April, while Iran ranked third with 80,193 visitors.
The visitors from the U.S. came in at fourth sport with 68,103 individuals, followed by those arriving from France (62,404), the U.K. (60,429) and Saudi Arabia (42,059), respectively.
The number of foreign visitors to Türkiye in general reached 3.61 million in April, according to the official data last week, pointing to a strong trend in the key sector, contributing significantly to the country’s economy.
Arrivals from January through April rose 11.8% year-over-year to nearly 10.7 million, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
Accordingly, the data suggests Istanbul, which accounts for nearly half of the arrivals, remains the locomotive of the sector, although the authorities seek to promote other locations and provinces across the nation and spread tourism throughout the year.
The latest data also revealed the number of foreign visitors coming to Istanbul via air surged by 15.54% in April compared to the same month in 2023. Istanbul Airport was the most preferred air hub, hosting nearly 73% of passengers throughout the month.
Meanwhile, some 19,135 foreigners arrived in the city by sea last month.
Foreign arrivals hit a record 49.2 million in 2023, up from 44.6 million tourists who arrived in 2022. Combined with Turkish citizens living abroad, arrivals hit 56.7 million in 2023.
The government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year, envisaging to generate $60 billion in revenues at the same time.
