Türkiye targets over 7M Russian tourists in 2025

Türkiye plans to host over 7 million Russian tourists this year, supported by the positive trajectory of political and economic relations between the two countries, Turkish sector representatives told Anadolu.

Hasan Eker, vice chairman of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TURSAB), said expectations for the Russian market are high this year, as the Russian ruble has strengthened against other currencies.

Speaking at the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Expo 2025 (MITT), Eker noted that more Russian tourists are expected to choose Türkiye due to the country's competitive prices and high-quality tourism services.

“Türkiye and Russia have good relations, both in terms of governments and travel agencies,” he said.

“We interpret this as an indicator that Russia will send much more tourists to Türkiye than last year when 6.5 million Russians visited Türkiye.”

“The Russian market has always been one of Türkiye's top three—we think that between 7 and 7.5 million Russian tourists will come this year, marking an increase of at least 10%,” he added.

Eker highlighted that strained relations between Russia and Europe due to the war in Ukraine have led more Russian tourists to opt for Türkiye and other destinations in Asia. He said the Turkish tourism sector is attracting visitors who might have otherwise chosen Italy, Spain, or Greece, noting that Türkiye offers comparable services.

“As scheduled flights between Türkiye and Russia increase, tourists can create their own schedules to travel whenever they want,” he said, adding that Istanbul, Izmir, and Cappadocia are among the most popular destinations.

He also pointed out that international politics influence tourism trends and that strong relations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have positively impacted the sector.

Elif Ural, a board member at TURSAB, said Russian tourists primarily visit the Mediterranean and Aegean regions but are now increasingly familiar with Istanbul.

“Russians like to travel a lot, which is why they opt to receive healthcare services in other countries despite having a developed one at home,” she said. “China and South Korea have come to the fore as destinations Russian tourists prefer for health tourism in the last decade.”

She noted that Türkiye has begun actively promoting its health tourism sector in Russia to attract more visitors.

“Our health system offers very specialized operations that are not performed in Russia, for instance, physical therapy, orthopedics, and scoliosis surgeries,” she mentioned. “For example, Russian tourists who used to go to Czechia for wellness activities now prefer Türkiye, especially for thermal tourism.”

Ural added that Russians often combine vacations with medical treatments and said demand would rise further if targeted investments were made to meet their needs.