Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in his presentation at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Planning and Budget Commission, stated that Turkey has gone beyond being one of the most visited countries in the world and that it is among the countries that set standards on a global scale in the fields of product diversity, destination management, promotional capacity and sustainability in tourism.
Emphasizing that they are determined to continuously carry forward the gains achieved in tourism, Ersoy said, "Our goal is to transform our strength in the number of visitors into an ever-increasing gain with higher tourism income, longer accommodation periods and a more balanced tourism structure spread over 12 months in 81 provinces." he said.
Pointing out that the first nine months of 2026 will be difficult for global tourism, Ersoy said; He stated that despite regional conflicts, airspace closures and rising transportation costs, Turkish tourism maintains its strong and durable structure. Explaining that 49 million 132 thousand visitors were hosted in the January-September period, Ersoy stated that tourism income increased by 2.4 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 51 billion 278 million dollars.
Noting that the average stay duration was 10.34 nights in the same period, Ersoy said that the average nightly expenditure per person increased by 4.6 percent to 107.7 dollars, and the average nightly expenditure of foreign visitors reached 119.9 dollars.
Reminding that Turkey rose from eighth place in 2017 to fourth place in 2025 in the number of international tourists, Ersoy stated that in the same period, it increased from 14th place to seventh place in tourism revenue rankings. Ersoy emphasized that the joint efforts of the public and private sectors, strong transportation infrastructure and the uninterrupted promotional efforts of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency were effective in this success.
Ersoy announced that they will carry out the 2027 tourism policy on five strategic axes in order to increase the resilience of the sector in the face of global uncertainties. He stated that in addition to maintaining demand in existing markets and developing high value-added tourism products, sales-oriented activities will be increased in markets with high growth potential, especially America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Stating that the existing flight capacity will be maintained and additional seat capacity will be provided with new direct flights thanks to cooperation with airline companies and tour operators, Ersoy said that Turkey's global visibility will be strengthened with international sports and cultural organizations. He noted that data and artificial intelligence will be used more effectively in demand forecasting, targeting and promotional campaigns.
Stating that Formula 1 is one of the concrete examples of this strategy, Ersoy said, "We are proud to be bringing the excitement of Formula 1, one of the most prestigious sports organizations in the world, to our country again at Istanbul Park in 2027." he said.
Sharing data on Turkey's international promotional activities, Ersoy announced that 7.1 billion impressions were reached in 74 countries with digital campaigns in 2026. Stating that the mini-series model, which carries the global impact of Turkish TV series to tourism, has been expanded, Ersoy stated that 10 mini-series in the 2025-2026 period achieved a total of 10.5 billion views.
Noting that the GoTürkiye platform, which promotes Turkey in 10 languages, reached 77.2 million unique visitors as of October, and its social media accounts reached 23 million 338 thousand followers as of September, Ersoy said that among the country's accounts, they ranked first on YouTube and TikTok and second on Instagram.
Emphasizing that they consider growth in tourism together with environmental responsibility, Ersoy stated that as of October, more than 20 thousand facilities have received documents and certificates within the scope of the sustainable tourism program, and more than 2,650 facilities have met all the third stage criteria. Explaining that they aim for all accommodation facilities to meet the third stage criteria by 2030, Ersoy stated that Turkey has risen 11 places since 2019 and reached the 36th place in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index. Reminding that Turkey is third in the world in the number of Blue Flag beaches with 580 beaches, Ersoy also stated that public beaches with free entrance provide service at 20 different points.
Describing the "Heritage to the Future" project as the largest archaeological mobilization in the history of the Republic, Ersoy announced that work will be carried out in 261 excavation sites in 67 provinces in 2026. Stating that 29 excavations carried out by foreign delegations were included in the 12-month work program and a Turkish coordinator excavation head was appointed for each of them, Ersoy said that the number of all excavations and research works will reach 800 by the end of the year and that it is aimed to increase it to 820 in 2027. Stating that more than 32 thousand archaeological findings were unearthed during the excavations between 2024 and 2026, Ersoy noted that more than 3,500 experts and more than 6,500 employees were employed. He stated that they contributed to the preparation and publication of 944 scientific publications in two years in order to evaluate the scientific data obtained.
Explaining the investments in the field of museology, Ersoy said that the Antalya Museum is planned to be opened to visitors in 2027. Stating that the closed area of the museum has been doubled and the exhibition areas have been approximately tripled, Ersoy stated that most of the works waiting in warehouses can be exhibited. Emphasizing that they treated the Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci station areas as a major culture and art project, Ersoy stated that the original identities of the historical buildings will be preserved and the transportation function of both stations will be maintained.
Explaining that Haydarpaşa will include the Anatolian Side's first archaeological museum, archeopark, performing arts center, library, thematic museum, exhibition halls and art-design workshops, Ersoy said that the first phase is aimed to be completed in 2027. He noted that in Sirkeci, the Migration Museum, thematic museums and exhibition areas, as well as culture and arts venues will be created.
Stating that Turkey has 22 properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Ersoy announced that the candidacy file for the churches and monasteries in Midyat and its surroundings will be evaluated in 2027. Stating that the number of properties on the World Heritage Tentative List reached 80 with the addition of the "METU Campus: Living Modern Cultural Landscape" element, Ersoy announced that the 49th session of the World Heritage Committee will be held in Istanbul between 27 June and 7 July 2027, under the term presidency of Turkey.
Explaining that the museums and historical sites affiliated with the Ministry hosted 28.5 million visitors as of the end of October, Ersoy stated that the number of people benefiting from the night museum practice exceeded 1.3 million. He said that there was an increase of approximately 35 percent in night museum activities compared to the same period last year. Emphasizing that diplomatic and legal studies are continuing for the return of cultural assets smuggled abroad, Ersoy stated that 126 cultural assets were brought to Turkey in 2026, and the total number of artifacts returned in the 2002-2026 period reached 13 thousand 574.
Ersoy noted that a software-based technological infrastructure has been put into operation to detect and archive suspicious works offered for sale on auction and gallery sites around the world.
Describing the works for the protection of the foundation's heritage, Ersoy stated that the repair and restoration of 147 works were completed in the first eight months of 2026, and that this number is aimed to be increased to 203 by the end of the year. Stating that the most comprehensive restoration work in the history of the Hagia Sophia Mosque is being carried out meticulously, Ersoy said that within the scope of the foundation's services, the education of 50 thousand students is supported every year and food parcels are delivered to 75 thousand 870 households every month.
Stating that the Turkey Culture Road Festival has grown with the vision of "Tourism Integrated with Culture and Art", Ersoy announced that there are 26 cities in the 2026 calendar and that more than 5,600 events have been held in 382 venues in 25 cities so far. Ersoy stated that the festival is planned to be held in 32 provinces, with the addition of Balıkesir, Denizli, Hatay, Kocaeli, Muğla and Tekirdağ in 2027. Referring to the studies on the protection of living heritage, Ersoy said that Turkey is the second country that registers the most elements with 32 cultural values registered in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
Stating that services are provided in more than 1,300 libraries across the country with the "Living Library" approach, Ersoy announced that 257 new libraries were opened and 373 libraries were restructured in the last eight years. It was reported that in the first six months of 2026, the book assets reached 27.6 million, the number of members reached 7.5 million, and the number of users reached 19.9 million. Describing the work of the Turkish Manuscripts Institution, Ersoy stated that digital copies of 487 thousand works in the collections were made available to researchers.
Providing information about the activities of the Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency, Ersoy announced that the maintenance-repair and furnishing works of 850 cemevis were completed in the 2023-2026 period and that operations are continuing in 542 cemevis. Stating that the Ministry covered the lighting expenses of 1,156 cemevis, Ersoy said that 27 thousand books were provided for the establishment of library units in cemevis, and that the transfer of cultural heritage to future generations was supported through baglama and semah courses.
Emphasizing that they are working to bring art to wider audiences across the country, Ersoy stated that the State Theaters were deemed worthy of 121 different awards in the 2025-2026 season. He reported that the State Opera and Ballet reached 653 thousand spectators with a total of 1,241 performances in the 2025-2026 season. Noting that a total of 674 million 100 thousand TL support was given to the cinema industry in 2026, Ersoy said that children were introduced to cinema.
Stating that Yunus Emre Institute continues its activities through 96 Turkish Cultural Centers in 72 countries, Ersoy concluded his speech by announcing that TIKA carried out 1,624 projects and activities in 2026.
