Turkish tourism is losing its luster in first half 2025

5 months of foreign arrivals decline for the first 7 months of 2025

According to data from Turkey Ministry of Tourism, total foreign visitors arrivals declined for the first half year 2025 by 1.13% to 21.4 million. This is to compare with 21.67 million for the same period of 2024.

After starting well in January with a growth in arrivals of 6.06%, February, March, May and June recorded a negative evolution. So far March 2025 showed the worst performance, with foreign visitors arrivals down by 13.14%. While total visitors’ arrivals dropped by 1.5% in June, recent release for July showed a renewed erosion in total foreign visitors arrivals – this time by -4.97%.

Rising costs are pushing visitors to cut trips short—or skip the country altogether according to experts. Inflation—running at around 33% until August 31, 2025—and a strengthening Turkish lira have made vacations far more expensive.

Exploding accommodation costs

While the euro and the Swiss franc maintained parity -inflation adjusted, the US dollar has lost 16% of its purchasing power. The British Pound lost 6% in value compared to the Turkish Lira (inflation adjusted). As prices of accommodation increased far more than general inflation, many international visitors now consider the cost of stay prohibitive.

According to Turkey tourism agencies, a five-day family trip to Antalya or Bodrum can easily top 150,000 Turkish lira (€4,000–5,000), compared with 80,000–100,000 lira in Greece or 60,000–80,000 in Egypt. This makes the cost of a family holiday in Turkey roughly on par with Dubai. Travelers from key markets such as Germany and the UK are increasingly looking elsewhere.

From January to June 2025, total visitors’ arrivals from Germany decreased by 1.77% from 2.46 million to 2.42 million; UK arrivals declined by 1.16% from 1.77 to 1.75 million. While looking moderate, the decline however weights heavily on tourism receipts as both markets have higher spending power than Russia, Iran or Bulgaria – these countries being also in Turkey top 5 inbound.

Russia weak but USA and Poland strong

Meanwhile, even Russia– which is Turkey top market with a share of 12.2% of all arrivals, shows signs of a slowdown. Russian arrivals decreased by 2.95% in H1 2025, representing 2.61 million compared to 2.69 million a year earlier.

Tourism accounts for roughly 12% of Turkey’s GDP. Industry leaders estimate revenue this year could fall $3 billion short of expectations.

Coastal resorts report a 15% decline in European bookings, while Istanbul’s cultural landmarks are drawing thinner Western crowds. In between, Turkish resorts adapt to the new reality. They now offer tailoring packages to visitors with all-inclusive menus and activities.

However, some inbound markets recorded strong growth in the first half of 2025. Poland, now Turkey sixth largest inbound market rose by 2.47% to pass the 700,000 arrivals mark in H1 2025. U.S. arrivals -Turkey 7th largest incoming source- are up 11.49% to 644,000. Italy, Spain, Ireland, Uzbekistan, Japan or Australia recorded double-digit growth in arrivals.

Officials continue however to paint a rosy picture of the tourism situation. “We are moving step by step toward our annual goal,” Turkish Minister for Tourism and Culture Mehmet Nuri Ersoy declared in July. His aim is to see 65 million visitors in 2025. In 2024, Turkey saw a record number of tourists, with 62.27 million international visitors,up 9.8% compared to 2024. However, it is now unlikely that the country may achieve that goal this year…