Istanbul sets new visitor record in early 2024: Ministry

Istanbul, one of the world's most popular tourism centers, has seen a significant increase in tourism in the first four months of the year, breaking a visitor record with more than 5 million foreign visitors.

According to the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the city welcomed 5,244,936 foreign visitors from January to April 2024, marking an approximately 10 percent increase from the same period last year.

In April alone, Istanbul hosted 1,478,218 foreign visitors, a 14.6 percent rise compared to April 2023. This surge solidifies Istanbul's status as the driving force of Turkish tourism. Notably, 167,824 visitors came from Russia, followed by 109,202 from Germany, 80,193 from Iran and 68,103 from the U.S. In addition, France contributed 62,404 visitors, the U.K. 60,429 and Saudi Arabia 42,059.

Istanbul Airport saw the majority of arrivals, welcoming 1,063,035 foreign visitors in April, accounting for 72.86 percent of the air traffic. Sabiha Gökçen Airport received 394,772 foreign visitors, making up 27.06 percent of the air arrivals. Overall, air travel to Istanbul increased by 15.54 percent compared to April 2023. Additionally, 19,135 foreign visitors arrived by sea in April.

Meanwhile, accommodation statistics for March 2024 showed that Ministry-certified facilities hosted 1,004,536 arrivals, with 2,219,479 being overnight stays. The average stay was 2.21 days and the occupancy rate was 45.85 percent.