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4 clusters · 33 sources · 25 days · First seen · Last updated

Turkey cultural heritage and tourism statistics

Overview

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirms significant growth in Turkey’s cultural heritage sector for 2025. Total visitors to museums and archaeological sites reached approximately 65.9 million, a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year. Specifically, museums and archaeological sites hosted 34,836,007 visitors, a 7% rise over 2024. Revenue from these sites saw a sharp increase of over 34.3%, exceeding 7.3 billion Turkish Lira.

The Ephesus Archaeological Site in Izmir was the most visited location, recording over 2.5 million visitors, followed by Hierapolis (Pamukkale) in Denizli with approximately 2.3 million. Regional data shows Istanbul held the highest number of immovable assets, while the province of Van saw a 4.4 percent rise in protected sites and assets.

To modernize the sector, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has partnered with Türk Telekom to launch a digital transformation project for 216 museums and archaeological sites, targeted for completion by the end of 2026. This initiative includes upgrading infrastructure with fiber optics, Wi-Fi, and 5G, alongside implementing augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI-supported analytics. A key component involves integrating national ID cards to replace physical Müzekarts, allowing visitors to enter sites by scanning their IDs after paying via e-Devlet or mobile apps.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has set a target to increase total tourism revenues to 65 billion US dollars, describing the sector as a vital ‘smoke-free industry’. Russia and Germany remain the primary source markets for visitors, with Istanbul and Antalya serving as the main entry points.

Entities

Ministry of Culture and Tourism · Istanbul · İzmir · Turkey · Turkish Statistical Institute

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 4 sources
    Turkey to digitize 216 museums and archaeological sites by 2026

    Turkey is implementing a digital transformation project for 216 museums by 2026, allowing citizens to use national ID cards for entry after digital payment.

  2. [BUSINESS] 14 sources
    Turkey tourism hits record visitor and revenue numbers in 2025

    Turkey's museums and archaeological sites hit record highs in 2025, hosting 34.8 million visitors and generating over 7.3 billion Lira in revenue, led by Ephesus and Hierapolis.

  3. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Turkey cultural heritage assets increase to 130,632

    Turkey's immovable cultural assets rose 2.6% to 130,632 in 2025, with Van seeing a 4.4% increase in total protected sites and assets.

  4. [CULTURE] 21 sources
    Turkey museum and archaeological site visitors rise to 65.9 million in 2025

    TÜİK 2025 data shows Turkey's museum and archaeological site visitors rose 6.8% to nearly 66 million, with Istanbul leading in attendance and the total number of museums increasing to 664.

Sources

aksam.com.tr · aksiyon.com.tr · anlatilaninotesi.com.tr · baskentgazete.com.tr · benguturk.com · bursahakimiyet.com.tr · doviz.com · dunya.com · fibhaber.com · gazetedamga.com.tr · gazeteipekyol.com · haber16.com · haberdenizli.com · haberport.com · haberturk.com · hurriyet.de · istanbulgazetesi.com.tr · karar.com · karsmanset.com · medyagazete.com · mersinhaber.com · muglayenigun.com · pamukkalehaber.com · rayhaber.com · sabah.com.tr · sesgazetesi.com.tr · tigrishaber.com · tr.euronews.com · turizmgazetesi.com · turkgun.com · wanhaber.com · yenicaggazetesi.com.tr · yesiligdir.com

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history