Turkey’s tourism sector showed signs of renewed strength in September 2026, as foreign arrivals returned to positive territory on an annual basis. Year-over-year, foreign arrivals rose by 0.40% in September, according to data updated on 30 October 2026.
The improvement marks a reversal from August 2026, when foreign arrivals had slipped 0.03% compared with August a year earlier. The data compare each month’s performance with the same month of the previous year, indicating that Turkey managed to shift from a marginal annual decline in August to modest annual growth in September.
While the pace of growth remains moderate, the move from slightly negative to positive territory suggests a stabilizing trend in inbound tourism as the country heads into the final quarter of 2026. Policymakers and market observers are likely to watch upcoming monthly releases closely to gauge whether this momentum in foreign arrivals can be sustained.
