Turkiye welcomed over 30 million international visitors in 2021

Turkiye emerged as one of the top destinations for FIT and MICE tourists from around the world in 2021, by welcoming over 30 million international visitors. According to the latest data, the country’s tourism revenues doubled to almost USD 25 billion last year, marking a whopping 103% growth since the emergence of the pandemic.

In Q4 of 2021, Turkiye’s tourism revenues shot up by 95% to USD 7.6 billion, which is only 3% below the numbers witnessed during the pre-pandemic period of October-December 2019.

Among other countries such as Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Iran and the UK, Turkiye witnessed over 50 thousand tourists from India, in 2021. In December alone, the country witnessed over 10 thousand visitors from India, which is an indication of the uptick in Turkiye tourism, amongst Indians, once again. Several high-profile celebrities such as Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Parineeti Chopra, and Gauahar Khan; television celebrities/influencers Vishal Singh, Aditi Sharma and Karishma Sharma, were also amongst the popular names to visit Turkiye in 2021.

Some of the critical factors that make Turkiye an ideal destination for Indian travellers amidst the pandemic are as follows:

· Indian travellers with a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before travel can visit Turkiye

· Indian travellers who certify that they have had at least two doses of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) including Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik, provided that at least 14 days have passed since the last dose, will be exempted from quarantine

Turkiye ranks as the 6th highest country in the world to host international visitors annually. The country welcomed 52 million travellers in 2019, touching a whopping USD 34.5 billion in tourism revenue. Of these, 2.3 lakh were Indian nationals, which is the highest number of Indian travellers recorded till date, by the country. Owing to its highly successful ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’, Turkiye expects to welcome an even higher number of Indian travellers in 2022, and set a whole new record for tourists, this year.