Türkiye expects to welcome 60M foreign tourists this year

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye aims to attract 60 million foreign tourists in 2023, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference to unveil the country's tourism roadmap for 2028, Ersoy said: "While world tourism reached 65% of its pre-virus level in 2022, Türkiye managed to nearly overtake its pre-virus level of 45 million."

"Our target is 90 million foreign tourist arrivals for 2028," he stressed.

In 2022, some 44.6 million foreign tourists came to Türkiye, leaping 80.3% from a year earlier.

"Türkiye performed the best (of all countries) in tourism revenues during the post-virus period," Ersoy said.

The country generated $46.3 billion in tourism revenues last year, up from $38.9 billion in 2019, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data showed.

The country is aiming for $56 billion in revenues this year, he noted.

As the average expenditure per night for overnight foreign visitors was $86 in 2022, it is targeted to hit $95 this year and $118 in 2028, Ersoy stressed.

The country will achieve its goals by diversifying markets rather than only focusing on nearby regions, he said.