Istanbul (TourismReporter) — Türkiye’s tourism sector maintained robust growth in October 2025, recording a 4.32% year-on-year increase in foreign arrivals despite entering the traditional shoulder season, according to official data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on November 21.
A total of 5,683,717 foreign visitors arrived in Türkiye last month — a clear sign that the country’s diversified tourism offerings, improved global connectivity, and aggressive marketing campaigns are extending the high season well beyond summer.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy highlighted the figures on social media, stating:
“Our rise in tourism continues steadily. In October 2025, we hosted exactly 5,683,717 foreign visitors — a 4.32% increase compared to the same month last year. 96.2% of these visitors came for culture, sightseeing, and holiday purposes, once again confirming Türkiye’s strong position in global tourism.”
Key October 2025 Highlights
- Top source markets remained dominated by Europe and Russia:
- Germany: Strong recovery with a +6.20% increase.
- Russia: Leading growth driver with +11.44% more arrivals.
- United Kingdom: Secured third place among sending countries.
- Istanbul continued to attract the largest share (~32.7% of total arrivals), followed by coastal favorites Antalya and Muğla.
- Notably, 96.2% of October visitors traveled for leisure, cultural, or recreational purposes — underscoring Türkiye’s success in positioning itself as a year-round destination rather than purely a sun-and-sea market.
January–October 2025 Cumulative Performance
The first ten months of the year saw:
- Total visitors (including expatriate Turks): 55,676,237
- Foreign visitors only: 47,252,314
These numbers keep Türkiye firmly on track to surpass its ambitious 2025 targets of 65 million total visitors (including overseas Turks) and position it among the world’s top four most-visited countries for the second consecutive year.
The strong October performance follows a record-breaking 2024 (62.27 million total visitors, 52.6 million foreign) and demonstrates the effectiveness of Türkiye’s “multi-market” strategy — reducing dependency on any single region while expanding into high-growth areas such as the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.
Industry analysts attribute the sustained momentum to:
- Extended shoulder-season promotions
- New direct flight routes
- Investments in cultural and gastronomy tourism
- Successful hosting of major events and festivals
With November and December historically strong for city breaks (especially Istanbul) and winter sun escapes to the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, the sector remains optimistic about closing 2025 with another record year.
TourismReporter.com will continue monitoring monthly arrivals across different destinations and provide in-depth analysis as year-end figures approach.
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