WTM tourism report: Turkey to surpass France in 2024

With the tourism boom throughout 2023, Europe's visitor numbers have reached pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Global Travel Report recently published by the World Travel Market (WTM) in collaboration with the economic firm Tourism Economics, Turkey has experienced a surprising increase in visitor numbers.

The report estimates that Turkey will surpass France in 2024 to become the second most visited country in Europe.

The total number of visits to Europe fell from 440 million in 2019 to 428 million in 2023, a decrease of 3 percent. However, these figures are on the rise in Turkey.

The country recorded a 73 percent increase in visitor numbers compared to 2019.

Thus, Turkey outperformed Europe's two largest markets, France and Spain, which showed increases of 33 percent and 31 percent respectively compared to 2019.

Croatia, the region's 10th largest market, was another notable performer, with 2023 figures expected to be 51 percent above pre-pandemic levels.

DEPRECIATION OF THE TURKISH LIRA IS A KEY FACTOR

Entering 2023 with the major and devastating earthquake disaster centered in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey struggled to recover in terms of tourism at the beginning of the summer months. However, tourism in the country surged in the following months.

According to the report, while the primary reasons for Turkey attracting such a large number of tourists are its natural beauty and historical richness, the fact that it offers an economically attractive option is very important.

In particular, the depreciation of the Turkish Lira makes vacationing in Turkey more affordable for many travelers.

Furthermore, Turkey continued to host tourists from Russia as the only country in Europe where flights from Russia were not banned.

Approximately 5 million Russians visited Turkey in 2022. This number is expected to reach a total of 7 million in 2023.

According to the WTM report, Spain was the most popular European country for tourism, and France was the second. However, the report predicts that Turkey's appeal will continue in 2024 and that it will surpass France as the second most visited country in Europe.

WTM forecasts that growth in tourism will continue in Spain, France, and Turkey, with increases of 74, 80, and 72 percent respectively.

News Source: 12punto