It was reported that Istanbul hosted 3 million 766 thousand 718 foreign visitors in the first 3 months of 2024.
According to the written statement made by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign visitors to Istanbul increased by 8.22% compared to the same period of the previous year.
More than half of the 7 million 42 thousand 850 foreign visitors who came to Turkiye in the first 3 months were hosted in Istanbul.
1 million 309 thousand 200 foreign visitors preferred Istanbul in March, an increase of 8.49% compared to the same month of the previous year.
The most foreign visitors to Istanbul in March came from the Russian Federation with 163 thousand 548 people. This country was followed by Iran with 121 thousand 194 people, Germany with 115 thousand 563 people and England with 57 thousand 97 people. England was followed by the United States of America with 55 thousand 940 people, France with 40 thousand 828 people and Italy with 35 thousand 446 people.
Among the visitors coming to Istanbul from Arab countries in March, Algeria ranked first, Iraq ranked second, Morocco ranked third, and Saudi Arabia ranked fourth. Saudi Arabia was followed by Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.
Most passengers came through Istanbul Airport
Foreign visitors who came to Istanbul in March mostly entered the city via Istanbul Airport.
Istanbul Airport was preferred by 918 thousand 36 foreign visitors in March. The share of Istanbul Airport in the total number of foreign visitors arriving in Istanbul by air in March was 70.55%.
While 382 thousand 96 foreign visitors entered Sabiha Gokcen Airport in March, they constituted 29.37% of the foreigners entering Istanbul by air.
The number of foreign visitors coming to Istanbul by air in March increased by 8.83% compared to the same month of 2023, reaching 1 million 301 thousand 194.
The occupancy rate in February was 45.67%
According to the latest accommodation statistics published by the Ministry, the number of visits to ministry-certified facilities was 1 million 3 thousand 842 in February this year.
While 2 million 205 thousand 835 overnight stays were made in these facilities, the average length of stay was 2.20 days.
The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities in Istanbul in February was 45.67%.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz