Turkey's Tourism Revenue Shifts: Shopping Decline, Health Tourism Soars

Rising inflation and volatile exchange rates have fundamentally altered the spending patterns of foreign tourists visiting Turkey.

Shopping Exodus: Decline in Apparel and Souvenir Expenditures

■Apparel and footwear spending fell to $1.22 billion, a 22% decrease.

■Souvenir purchases dropped to $512 million, reflecting a 14% decline.

■Only 32% of total tourism revenue ($5.02 billion) still comes from food‑beverage and shopping categories.

Health Tourism's Golden Era: Surge in Hair Transplants and Cosmetic Surgery

■Health-related spending rose to $834 million, up 11% year‑over‑year.

■Hair transplants and aesthetic procedures have become the fastest‑growing segment among foreign visitors.

■Per‑capita health expenditure increased from $1.39 billion the previous year to $1.58 billion.

New Composition of Tourism Revenue: Food‑Beverage and Health Services Lead

■Food‑beverage expenditures climbed to $3.29 billion, a 5% increase from 2025.

■This sector alone accounts for 21% of total tourism revenue ($3.29 billion).

■Overall $15.66 billion in tourism revenue was generated by 15.8 million tourists.

Regional and Temporal Trend Analysis

■In the first half of the year, food‑beverage spending hit $5.90 billion, the highest in the past four years.

■During the same period, apparel‑footwear spending fell to $2.20 billion, the lowest since 2023.

■Although the number of health tourists declined by 22%, total health spending rose to $1.58 billion.

This shift in tourism underscores how exchange rates and inflation shape consumer behavior. Banks should reassess loan rates to preserve consumer purchasing power, especially by enhancing financing options for high‑value segments like health tourism. Failure to adapt could jeopardize the sustainability of tourism revenues and foreign‑exchange inflows.