According to the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) in 2022, the number of visitors to Turkey increased by 71 percent to 51,387,513. In the January-December period of 2022, the number of foreign visitors increased by 80 percent to 44,564,395, and the number of citizen visitors residing abroad increased by 28 percent to 6,823,118.
The number of travelers who visited Turkey from Germany exceeded 5.7 million and took first place in the 12-month period. Just to remember, in 2019 about 5.0 million German tourists visited Turkey. Russian travelers followed with 5.3 million, falling behind 7 million in 2019. On the other hand, while 3.3 million tourists came from the UK, 2.5 million in 2019 was exceeded.
46 Billion Dollars in Tourism Revenue
According to TUIK data, tourism income increased by 53.4 percent in 2022 and reached 46.2 billion dollars. About 34.5 billion dollars of the income consisted of personal and about 11.8 billion dollars of package tour expenditures. The average nightly spend by inbound visitors increased to $89. The average expenditure per night of citizens residing abroad was $60.
Istanbul Welcomed 16 Million Tourists
In 2022, the number of tourists visiting Istanbul increased by 77.5 percent from 9.0 million to 16.1 million. in 2019 the city hosted 14.9 million tourists. In 2022, the most tourists in Istanbul came from Russia - about 1.5 million, 1.23 million visitors of Istanbul came from Germany, their second largest source market, and 1.09 million visitors were from Iran. They were followed by the USA, UK, France, Iraq and Kuwait.
Antalya Reached 13.5 Million Tourists
The number of tourists coming to Antalya in 2022 was over 13.5 million. In 2019, Antalya welcomed 15.2 million travelers.
In the distribution of visitors to Antalya Airport by country, Russia ranked first with 3 million tourists, Germany was second with 2.8 million, and the UK was third with 1.1 million. The number of Polish tourists was 765 thousand, followed by the Netherlands with 443 thousand, Kazakhstan with 357 thousand, Romania with 292 thousand and Israel with 278 thousand tourists.
The number of Cruise Passengers Exceeded 1 Million
The number of tourists coming to Turkey by cruise ships in 2022 exceeded 1 million, breaking a record. The number of cruise passengers in 2019 was 300 thousand and 1.9 million in 2015. Turkey received the highest number of cruise passengers in 2013 - 2.2 million. Among the ports visited by cruise tourists in 2022, Kuşadası ranks first with 496 thousand, followed by Istanbul with 252 thousand. Bodrum, Izmir and Antalya followed them.
Hotels Occupation Rate
According to the accommodation statistics of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in December 2022, the occupancy rate in hotels with operating licenses in Turkey was 35 percent. Occupancy rates were 34 percent in 2021 and 38 percent in 2019. Hotel occupancy rates were 32 percent in the first quarter, 50 percent in the second quarter, 77 percent in the third quarter and 45 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Occupancy rates in 5-star Turkish hotels were 31 percent in the first quarter, 56 percent in the second quarter, 88 percent in the third quarter and 49 percent in the fourth quarter. On the other hand, in 4-star hotels, it was 37 percent in the first quarter, 51 percent in the second quarter, 77 percent in the third quarter and 50 percent in the fourth quarter.
Airline Passenger Traffic
According to the data of the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI), the total number of international and domestic passenger traffic at Turkey's airports in the January-December of 2022 increased to 182 million. In 2019 it was 208 million. Regarding international flights, air passenger traffic exceeded 64.1 million in 12 months, with more than 15.5 million in Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen and more than 48.5 million in Istanbul Airport. In Antalya, while 25.1 million was passed, however, it was about 3 million below the year 2019.