Turkey’s tourism sector showed renewed momentum in March 2026, as foreign arrivals rose 5.00% year-over-year, reversing the decline recorded a month earlier. The latest data, updated on 30 April 2026, marks a clear improvement from February 2026, when foreign visitor numbers had fallen by 2.08% compared with the same month a year before.
The March figures highlight a shift in trend, with the country moving from a negative to a positive annual growth rate in just one month. Both the current and previous indicators are measured on a year-over-year basis, comparing each month’s performance to the corresponding month in the prior year, underlining that the latest reading reflects a genuine pick-up rather than a seasonal effect.
The turnaround in foreign arrivals will be closely watched by market participants and policymakers, given tourism’s importance to Turkey’s external balances and domestic activity. The 5.00% increase in March suggests improving conditions in the sector after a softer February, and may support expectations of stronger tourism-related revenues heading into the rest of 2026.
