Istanbul attracts record number of foreign tourists in 2023

One of the most visited cities in the world, Istanbul, broke an all-time record in the number of foreign tourists with nearly 17.4 million individuals arriving in 2023, according to the official data.

The Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate said some 17.37 million visited this vibrant city throughout last year, indicating an 8.44% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.

Leading the list of arrivals to the city were visitors from Russia with 1.99 million, followed by arrivals from Germany with 1.28 million, while Iran came in third with 1.05 million.

Besides the top three countries were notable arrivals from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy, Iraq and Uzbekistan.

Türkiye welcomed around 49.2 million foreign tourists in 2023, a year officials dubbed the best year ever for the industry, surpassing the figure of 44.6 million foreigners who arrived in 2022. At the same time, it achieved an all-time high tourism revenue amounting to $54.32 billion, a 17% rise year-over-year.