The Official Istanbul Tourism Statistics 2026 for the first two months, January and February, have been published. Following the developments taking place around the world, everyone is trying to make predictions about the rest of the year. As an active tourist guide and travel agency owner, I am also trying to follow and analyze these developments. In this article, I am sharing the official data from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with my own analyses. These data include the total number of visitors to Istanbul, visitor countries, the distribution between countries, and finally my personal evaluations. Let’s begin.
Istanbul January 2026
The number of foreign visitors entering Istanbul as of January 2026 was 1,359,798. Compared to the same period in 2025, this shows an increase of 7.18%.
DISTRIBUTION OF FOREIGN VISITORS ENTERING IN 2025-2026 ACCORDING TO MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION (JANUARY)
In January 2026, the number of foreign visitors arriving by air increased by 7.53% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 1,346,016 visitors. Arrivals by sea decreased by 18.41%, with 13,782 visitors.
The distribution of the 1,359,798 foreign visitors entering as of January 2026 according to border gates is shown in the table above. Among foreign visitors arriving by air, 69.04% used Istanbul Airport and 30.86% used Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
As of January 2026, visitors from the Russian Federation constituted the highest share of total foreign visitors entering Istanbul, with 11.34%. They were followed respectively by Germany (6.78%), Iran (4.77%), Saudi Arabia (4.58%), the United States of America (4.46%), the United Kingdom (3.54%), Uzbekistan (2.88%), France (2.80%), Italy (2.60%), and the Republic of China (2.07%).
Istanbul February 2026
The number of foreign visitors entering Istanbul as of February 2026 was 1,233,088. Compared to the same period in 2025, this shows a decrease of 1.78%.
DISTRIBUTION OF FOREIGN VISITORS ENTERING IN 2025-2026 ACCORDING TO MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION (FEBRUARY)
In February 2026, the number of foreign visitors arriving by air decreased by 1.80% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 1,221,345 visitors. Arrivals by sea increased by 0.33%, with 11,743 visitors.
The distribution of the 1,233,088 foreign visitors entering as of February 2026 according to border gates is shown in the table above. Among foreign visitors arriving by air, 65.17% used Istanbul Airport and 34.74% used Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
As of February 2026, visitors from the Russian Federation constituted the highest share of total foreign visitors entering Istanbul, with 10.28%. They were followed respectively by Germany (8.05%), the United Kingdom (4.02%), France (3.87%), Iran (3.81%), the Republic of China (3.77%), the United States of America (3.76%), Uzbekistan (3.11%), Italy (2.97%), and the Netherlands (2.34%).
Evaluation
When evaluating the first two months of 2024, 2025, and 2026, according to official data there has not been a major change in the number of visitors to Istanbul.
It is still quite early to say that the events taking place around the world have created a significant change in tourism across Istanbul and Türkiye in general.
As someone working actively in the field as a tourist guide and also owning a travel agency in Istanbul, I cannot say that I have observed any major difference yet. The reservations and demands I currently receive remain at similar levels to those of 2025.
Looking at the country overall, according to official data, the number of foreign visitors to Türkiye in the January–March 2026 period increased by 2.21% compared to the same period last year.
During the January–March 2026 period, the province with the highest number of foreign visitor entries into Türkiye was Istanbul, accounting for 56.51% (3,863,647 people).
Conclusion
When examining the Istanbul Tourism Statistics 2026 for the first months, January and February, it is possible to say that tourism figures are progressing positively. I believe that the reflections of the crises and developments occurring around the world will become clearer in a broader sense no earlier than September 2026. Transportation networks around the world, especially airlines, continue to operate actively on a large scale. I will continue to follow the tourism of Türkiye and Istanbul very closely. If you would like to access the Official Istanbul Tourism Statistics for 2024 and 2025, you can find them here: Official Istanbul Tourism Statistics 2025 – Data & Trends
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