The trade has insisted that Turkiye remains a popular destination for 2026 despite a drop in the number of foreign visitors earlier this year.
Official figures from the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism show foreign visitor numbers fell by 4% in June to 5.54 million, marking the second consecutive month of declining arrivals.
The downturn was driven largely by fewer visitors from the UK, which was down 13.8%, and Germany, down 11.3%.
However, many agents and operators told Travel Gossip they have not seen demand weaken.
Jet2holidays said customers are ‘not avoiding Turkiye’ and that it continues to offer a substantial programme to the country this summer.
EasyJet holidays also said it had seen no evidence of interest waning, describing Turkiye as one of its most popular destinations.
TUI declined to comment, but Turkiye is one of the key destinations included in its new direct-sell brand, Sundeals, launching today.
Advantage Travel Partnership Commercial Director John Sullivan said Turkiye had been one of its top-performing destinations before demand softened due to disruption in the Middle East, but it quickly bounced back and remains a popular choice.
He added: “Throughout July it was one of our top three destinations booked, taking 15% share of all passengers travelling and up versus July 2025 – with average booking values also up 19%.”
Kuoni also attributed a dip in sales to the Middle East conflict but has seen demand return, particularly in the past few weeks.
A spokesperson added: “This is being led by late bookings into the beach resorts from both families and couples as well as increased demand for city/cultural breaks to Istanbul and Cappadocia, for this year and next. We’re also seeing strong demand for Greece and Italy particularly for our multi-centre itineraries across both destinations.”
While arrivals from some countries fell, Turkiye recorded strong growth from other markets in June, including Iran, where visitor numbers rose 68.17%, and Russia, up 2.13%.
Matthew Ruth, a Manchester-based Personal Travel Agent in Partnership with Your Co-op, said he anticipates European visitor numbers to jump in the second half of the year, adding that he’s booked ‘lots’ of Turkiye holidays for August and September. He suggested Turkiye will is gaining from being outside the EU and so not affected by the new European Entry/Exit system. “Some Spanish/Greek properties have no family rooms left so they are forced to pick Turkiye for a combo of family room and slides etc, as well as for decent prices,” he added.
However, some agents claim that customers are looking for cheaper alternatives to Turkiye. Cumbernauld-based agent Kirsty Hastie, who has been holidaying in Türkiye for the past 20 years, said the cost of eating out has risen so much that she’s now considering booking an all-inclusive resort instead.
She added: “The average cost for a meal for four is £80, which is still a lot more expensive than previous years. We spent nearly double this year than what we have in the past. People still think of Turkiye as a cheap destination but I think a lot have been put off by the cost increases.
“Turkiye is still our favourite place and we’ve already booked it again for next year. We never do all inclusive as it has always been so cheap to eat out, but we might be reconsidering this as we really did spend much more this year.”
Agent Jane Karatas agrees that prices have increased in Turkiye but said it’s still cheaper than other popular destinations, such as Cyprus.
She said: “There’s a lot of talk in the media of Turkiye being too expensive when you’re there. It is more than it used to be, though I have to say though that it’s not alone in higher costs! I found Cyprus and Spain much more expensive. A colleague recently returned from Greece and drinks prices were more there too – we are driven by what we read on social media too much!”
Riviera Travel said it had ‘streamlined’ its Turkiye programme by withdrawing its seven-night Ancient Turkiye tour, which covered Cappadocia, Istanbul, Ephesus and Troy, to focus on its extended 12-night itinerary.
A spokesperson added: “While Turkiye remains an important destination within our worldwide touring collection, we have seen growing demand for other culturally rich, short-haul destinations in recent years.
“In particular, Morocco has experienced a significant increase in popularity, with our Marrakesh and The Atlas Mountains itinerary resonating strongly with guests seeking authentic experiences, vibrant culture, and exceptional value.”
Turkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: “Regional tensions in the Middle East and global uncertainties have impacted tourism demand in the first half of 2026. Although Turkiye was not involved in the conflict and all our airlines and airports continued to operate without disruption, the closure of Middle Eastern airspace led to a slight decline in demand.
“In the first six months of 2025, we hosted 26.4 million visitors. During the same period in the current year, we welcomed 25.8 million visitors. We have commenced the second half of the year strongly, and our current projections suggest a markedly improved performance for the remainder of the year.
“As a consequence of our strategic initiatives, we maintained our tourism revenues at the same level as in 2025, concluding the first half of the year with a robust figure of USD 25.8 billion.”
