Foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey reached 2.8 million in November, underscoring steady growth as total foreign visitors hit 50.06 million in the first 11 months of the year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Monday.
November arrivals rose 2.61 percent from a year earlier, while the January–November total edged up 0.03 percent, according to the ministry.
Istanbul remained the country’s top destination, drawing about 17.5 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months. Antalya followed with roughly 15.7 million, and the northwestern province of Edirne ranked third with around 4.1 million.
Russia was Turkey’s largest source of foreign tourists over the period, followed by Germany and Britain. Iran and Bulgaria were also among the leading markets.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Saturday that tourism revenues reached 50 billion dollars from January to September — the highest nine‑month total on record — Anadolu Agency reported.
Ersoy said Turkey is on track to surpass its year‑end revenue target of 64 billion dollars, crediting a coordinated strategy and promotional campaigns in nearly 200 countries for sustaining demand and supporting record performance.