Turkey’s travel and tourism sector broke all records last year, achieving new milestones in four key indicators, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Study (EIR).
In 2023, the sector is expected to contribute 3.11 trillion Turkish liras to the economy, accounting for 12% of total GDP, a significant increase of around 30% from the previous peak in 2019.
The sector also supports more than 3.2 million jobs, equivalent to one in ten jobs nationwide and more than 18% above its 2019 high.
Spending by international and domestic visitors also surpassed previous records, reaching TL1.68 trillion and TL761.3 billion respectively.
International visitor spending was approximately 36% above the 2019 record, while domestic visitor spending was approximately 24% above the 2018 all-time record.
Future outlook
The sector is expected to continue breaking records in 2024, with its contribution to GDP expected to reach nearly 12.5% of the country’s economy.
Travel and tourism jobs are predicted to exceed 3.3 million, with spending by international and domestic visitors expected to reach new records.
According to the WTTC’s latest research, spending by international visitors could reach more than 1.7 trillion Turkish liras next year, while spending by domestic visitors could reach almost 799 billion Turkish liras.
As part of continued efforts to grow the vital travel and tourism sector, the Turkish government is considering introducing a nomadic visa aimed at increasing the possibility of longer stays and therefore visitor spending.
WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson said: “Turkey is the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world and travel and tourism is not just a sector but an integral part of the country’s economy, driving growth, investment and new jobs.”
“We recognise that travel and tourism plays a vital role in the country’s economy and applaud the Government’s commitment to putting travel and tourism at the heart of decision-making.”
What does the next decade hold?
The outlook for the next 10 years predicts a decade of growth.
By 2034, the sector is expected to contribute more than 4 trillion Turkish liras per year to the economy, with employment forecast to reach around 3.75 million people.
The next decade will be a period of remarkable growth and transformation for Turkey’s travel and tourism sector.
Check out Türkiye’s economic impact data from the WTTC Research Hub
The research was conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics and is based on information from the United Nations Tourism Organization (formerly UNWTO), Oxford Economics and authoritative country databases. All values are based on constant 2023 prices and exchange rates reported in March 2024 and are quoted in Turkish Lira.
