According to the latest data published by the Ministry of Tourism of Turkey, the number of tourists from the UAE visiting Turkey in 2024 has decreased by 17.2% compared to the previous year, 2023. There is also a noted reduction in the number of tourists from four countries in the Persian Gulf by 5.8%, however, data on visitors from Oman is not available. At the same time, the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia has increased by 5.9%.
According to the details, Turkey has recorded a decrease in the number of tourists from the countries of the Persian Gulf by 5.8% in 2024 compared to the level of 2023, despite the growth of tourist flow overall by 7% according to global standards.
The total number of tourists from the region, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, who visited Turkey last year totaled 1,356,150 people, compared to 1,439,433 visitors in 2023. The largest decrease was recorded by Kuwaiti visitors - by 27.2%, where the number of Kuwaiti tourists fell from 363,000 in 2023 to 264,400 in 2024.
The second significant decrease was recorded from Qatar, with a reduction in the number of Qatari visitors from 70,000 in 2023 to 57,800 in 2024, a decline of 17.5%. At the same time, the number of visitors from the UAE to Turkey in 2024 fell to 99,900 people from 120,000 tourists in 2023, representing a 17.2% decrease. A decrease in the visits from tourists from Bahrain was also observed at 0.46%, down to 64,440 visitors compared to 64,470 visitors in 2023.
On the other hand, the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia increased by 5.9%, reaching 869,000 people, compared to 820,000 in 2023. Data on Oman is not mentioned. Overall, according to global standards, the number of international tourists visiting Turkey in 2024 is estimated to be 52.62 million people compared to 49.2 million visitors in 2023.
