Turkey Tourism Statistics 2020

Turkey had 5 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2020. It did not come close to the 2019 peak where 18 million tourists visited the country in the first half of the year. Tourism has been the most dynamic and one of the highest revenues in the economic sectors of Turkey. Its revenues in 2019 hit $35 billion with 50 million tourists arrival. 85% of these tourists are foreigners, and the rest are Turkish residing overseas. Most foreign tourists came from Russia, Ukraine, UK,  Europe, and Asia.

Tourism Sector Badly Hit by The COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged unprecedented measures for travelers across the globe. There is no exemption for Turkey's economic impact. The country's tourist arrivals in 2020 fell by 75%, according to recent statistics. Revenues sequentially narrowed when countries implement worldwide travel bans. It may take years to reach the same numbers of foreign visitors coming into the country.

Turkey Planning To Resume Tourist Facilities

Turkey resumed the operations of its tourist facilities in June 2020. Ninety percent of hotels and resorts opened their doors for visitors. The government established safety measures to prevent spreading the virus. Inspections and protocols are now in place. The tourism industry of Turkey seeks alternatives as it may take long before the country could cope up with the loss. Most hoteliers expected an extension in the holiday season, but the resurgence of the new COVID variant made it impossible. On the lighter side, the country already received Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine. There are also upcoming 30 million doses from Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine. This action from the government may boost foreign visitors in 2021. The target number of tourists for this year is 30 to 35 million.

The Culture Climate of Turkey and Tourism Ministry of Turkey stands by its decision in correspondence with the global health crisis. The tourism sector remains hopeful that the country will slowly recover. Hence, Turkey gained the WTTC Safe Travels stamp from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). It aims to prioritize the safety of travelers around the world.

Hotels under the Safe Tourism Certificate Program have to provide one safe isolation room in every fifty standard rooms. Tourists who tested positive in COVID-19 have to stay in a safe isolation room until the test turns negative. Hotels may lose their Safe Tourism Certificate if they fail to comply with the amended protocol as per the Ministry.

The Top 5 City that Tourists Go-To

1-Istanbul %53.73 (2,421,818 )

2-Edirne %14.08 (634,721)

3-Antalya %9.86 (444,227)

4-Artvin %8.05 (362,935)

5-Ankara %1,99 (89,620)