Turkey museum and archaeological site visitors rise to 65.9 million in 2025

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has released its 2025 Cultural Heritage Statistics, revealing a significant increase in interest in the country's historical sites. The total number of museums in Turkey rose by 4.4 percent to 664, comprising 220 institutions under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 426 private museums, and 18 under the Presidency of National Palaces.

Total visitors to museums and archaeological sites reached approximately 65.9 million, marking a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year. Istanbul recorded the highest number of visitors at over 18.3 million, followed by Izmir and Ankara. The total number of artifacts in museums grew by 0.4 percent to over 4 million.

Regional highlights include Muğla, which hosted over 1.2 million visitors to its 9 museums and 16 archaeological sites, and Nevşehir, which leads its region with 10 museums. In Bursa, summer tourism saw significant activity with over 886,000 visits to local museums and shrines. The total number of immovable cultural assets in Turkey increased by 2.6 percent to 130,632.