Tourist Record in Istanbul – Russians Remained First Again

According to the data announced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a tourist record was broken in Istanbul. Last year, the number of foreign visitors to Istanbul increased by 8.44% compared to the previous year. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism announced the number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul in 2022 as 16 million 18 thousand 726. In 2023, 17 million 370 thousand 30 tourists visited Istanbul.

The Most Tourists in 2023 Came from Russia

The country with the highest number of foreign visitors entering Istanbul, 17 million 370 thousand 30, was the Russian Federation with 1 million 990 thousand 226 visitors. Germany ranked second with 1 million 286 thousand 504 visitors. Iran ranked third with 1 million 53 thousand 638 visitors, while the USA ranked fourth with 853 thousand 766 visitors.

Istanbul Airport became the most preferred entry point, attracting 71.78% of foreigners entering. Sabiha Gökçen Airport ranked second with a share of 28.12%. While the number of foreign visitors arriving by air was 16 million 964 thousand 432, the number of visitors arriving by sea was recorded as 405 thousand 598.