Turkey Projects 6.5 Million Russian Tourists by End of 2026

Turkey expects to welcome around 6.5 million Russian tourists by the close of 2026, and the final figure could come in even higher, according to Davut Günaydın, deputy chairman of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

"Turkey is one of our core markets, and we consistently expect large numbers of tourists from Russia. By our calculations there will be 6.5 million, but it could be more," Günaydın told RIA Novosti when asked about year-end projections for Russian arrivals.

Figures from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) show that nearly 5.7 million Russian tourists visited Turkey between January and September 2026 - a 3.1% increase over the same period last year.

Antalya's resorts accounted for 3.25 million of those visits, or 57.11% of the total Russian tourist flow. Istanbul drew 1.67 million Russian visitors over the nine months, representing 29.5% of all tourists from Russia.