In 2023, Istanbul broke a record by hosting 17,370,030 foreign visitors.
According to the data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign visitors to Istanbul increased by 8.44 percent compared to the previous year.
Last year, Istanbul hosted a total of 17,370,030 foreign visitors, with the highest number of foreign visitors entering from the Russian Federation, totaling 1,990,226 people.
Germany ranked second with 1,286,504 visitors, Iran ranked third with 1,053,638 visitors, and the United States ranked fourth with 853,766 visitors. Following the United States, the United Kingdom (UK) ranked fifth with 701,361 visitors, Saudi Arabia ranked sixth with 604,509 visitors, and France ranked seventh with 589,149 visitors.
The first choice for entry was Istanbul Airport.
In 2023, the first choice for foreign visitors entering Istanbul was Istanbul Airport.
Of the foreigners entering by air, 71.78 percent used Istanbul Airport last year. Istanbul Airport, which hosted 12,177,784 foreign visitors, became the primary entry point for foreign visitors.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport ranked second with 28.12 percent, chosen by 4,771,157 people.
The number of foreign visitors arriving in Istanbul by air in 2023 was recorded as 16,964,432.
The number of foreign visitors arriving by sea was 405,598.