Mastercard, published the latest tourism report for 2023 in Türkiye

Mastercard, which provides support for foreign-origin cards to make payments in our country and to bring foreign currency inflows to the country through technology, published the latest tourism report for 2023 based on foreign card POS transactions conducted in Türkiye and in the countries sending the most tourists to Türkiye. According to Mastercard data, in transactions made with foreign-origin cards in Türkiye, there was a 12% annual increase in terms of quantity and a 63% increase in terms of turnover compared to 2022 in 2023. In terms of tourist numbers, there was a 15% annual growth. Bank cards emerged as the leading payment method in terms of transaction volume and transaction count in card tourism expenditures, with bank cards accounting for 67% and credit cards for 33% of transactions in terms of transaction count.

The leading global technology company in the payment systems field, Mastercard, published the latest tourism report for the year 2023 in Türkiye. The report, prepared based on POS transactions conducted in Türkiye and selected other countries using Mastercard and Maestro-branded foreign cards, compared the 12-month periods of 2022 and 2023.

In transactions made with foreign-origin cards in Türkiye, there was a 12% increase in quantity and a 63% increase in turnover compared to the previous year in 2023. The annual growth in the number of tourists was recorded at 15%. During the same period, bank cards (debit) emerged as the leading payment method in terms of transaction volume and transaction count in card tourism expenditures. The breakdown by card type based on turnover was 57% bank cards and 43% credit cards. In terms of transaction count, 67% bank cards and 33% credit cards were used.

The growth rate of foreign cards was concentrated in the west of Türkiye

While the increasing trend in market expenditures continued compared to the previous year in card tourism expenditure transactions, the growth rate of expenditures made by foreigners in Antalya surpassed other provinces. In card tourism expenditure transactions, the city-based turnover distribution was as follows: İstanbul (46%), Antalya (20%), Muğla (9%), İzmir (4%), Aydın (2%), and other provinces (19%). The sector-based turnover distribution was as follows: jewelry/duty-free/leather products (20%), clothing (17%), hotel (15%), restaurant (12%), market (8%), and others (27%).

Tourists spend the most on hotels in Antalya and Muğla,

while in other provinces, they spend on jewelry/duty-free/leather products

In Muğla, one of the top five cities where foreigners spend the most, foreigners spend the most on hotels, while in other cities, jewelry/duty-free/leather products emerged as the leading expenditure category. When considering the country-based distribution of individual foreign cards used for expenditures in Türkiye, UK-origin cards maintained their position at the top in terms of turnover. The top five countries in terms of turnover were respectively the UK (46%), Germany (19%), the USA (13%), the Netherlands (5%), and Saudi Arabia (5%). The annual growth rates of these countries in 2023 compared to 2022 were as follows: UK (35%), Germany (17%), USA (17%), the Netherlands (8%), and Saudi Arabia (33%).

The important findings reflected in the report can be summarized as follows;

• It was observed that there was not a significant change in the quarter-specific spending habits of foreigners who spend the most in Türkiye. Accordingly, the sectors where spending occurred generally included health, jewelry/duty-free/leather products, restaurants, clothing, and hotels.
• It emerged that the sectors where foreigners show interest in other countries are similar to those where they spend the most in Türkiye. According to the research, nearly half of foreign tourists, 42% to be exact, visit Türkiye most frequently during the third quarter of the year.
• English tourists spent in sequence on market, restaurant, and clothing; Germans spent on clothing, hotel, and restaurant; Americans spent on hotel, restaurant, and market; Dutch spent on fuel, restaurant, and clothing; Saudis spent on jewelry/duty-free/leather products, clothing, and hotel.
• The majority of volume in UK-origin cards came from debit cards, while in terms of turnover, Antalya stood out for hotels, and Istanbul stood out for jewelry/duty-free/leather products.
• The majority of volume in German-origin cards came from debit cards, while in terms of turnover, Antalya and İstanbul stood out for jewelry/duty-free/leather products and clothing sectors.
• The majority of volume in US-origin cards came from credit cards, while in terms of turnover, Istanbul, which accounted for 65% of turnover, got high demand for jewelry/duty-free/leather products and hotels.
• The majority of volume in Netherlands- origin cards came from debit cards, while in terms of turnover, Istanbul and Antalya, which accounted for 50% of turnover, got high demand for restaurants and jewelry/duty-free/leather products.
• The majority of volume in Saudi Arabia- origin cards came from credit cards, with high demand observed in the clothing, hotel, and restaurant sectors.

*Cash withdrawals and card purchases made over the internet are excluded from the scope.