ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

In 2025, the number of international tourists visiting Istanbul peaked at almost ** million. The number of foreign tourists arriving in Istanbul reached the second-highest value in 2019, at almost ** million. Due to travel restrictions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Istanbul fell dramatically in 2020, decreasing by ** compared to the previous year. 

Air travel in Ä°stanbul

After four years of construction, Istanbul Airport officially opened on October 29th, 2018, having replaced the Atatürk Airport from 2019 onwards. The airport also serves as the hub for Turkish Airlines. In 2024, Istanbul Airport saw approximately 80 million passengers pass through, which made it the second-busiest airport in Europe that year. The first place was taken by Heathrow Airport, located in London. In the same year, the second-busiest airport in the city, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, counted over 41 million air travelers, of which almost half were domestic passengers. 

Most visited museums

Considered as the economic, cultural, and historic capital, Ä°stanbul offers numerous cultural activities for visitors. Hence, the largest city recorded the highest number of museums among all provinces in Turkey, with ** public and private museums in 2022. That year, the Galata Tower became the most visited museum in Ä°stanbul, welcoming over *** million visitors. Built as a watch tower in the Byzantine period for the first time in the 13th century, the Galata Tower has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List since 2013.