Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy summarized the country's tourism industry performance for the first six months of the year. The announcement was made at a press conference in Istanbul on July 31, according to interfax-russia.ru.

According to the ministry, 25,8 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye in the first six months of 2026. By comparison, the country received 26,4 million visitors in the same period in 2025.

Russia remained the leader in tourist flow, with the number of Russian tourists reaching almost 2,65 million, a 1,5% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Germany (2,44 million tourists) and the United Kingdom (1,58 million) ranked second and third.

Despite the decline in overall tourist arrivals, tourism revenue remained at the same level as last year, amounting to 25,8 billion USD. The average length of stay for tourists increased by 0,5% to 10 nights, while daily spending increased by 2,6% to 109 USD.

Commenting on the results, the minister noted that although Türkiye is not involved in the regional conflict and its airlines and airports continue to operate without interruption, the closure of airspace over the Middle East has led to a slight decline in tourism demand. However, authorities predict an improvement in the second half of the year.