Chinese travelers open new Turkish trails

A growing wave of independent Chinese travelers is helping reshape Turkiye's tourism industry, bringing visitors beyond the traditional peak season and injecting fresh momentum into local economies, industry insiders say.

The visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, which took effect on Jan 2, positioned China as Turkiye's fastest-growing tourism market in the first half of 2026, according to the Turkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, or the TGA.

Chinese arrivals rose 28.05 percent year-on-year in the first six months, with the total reaching 363,562 between January and August, the agency reported.

Irfan Karsli, owner of Ligarba Tourism Agency and chairman of the Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association, said the momentum, further strengthened by a significant influx of visitors during China's National Day holiday in October, was largely driven by the rapid rise of independent travelers.

"These are young, foreign-language-speaking individuals who just grab their backpacks, fly directly to Turkiye and decide where to go along the way," Karsli said.

Unlike organized tour groups, independent travelers are not bound by fixed itineraries, making them particularly valuable to Turkiye's strategy of promoting tourism throughout the year, he added.

Chinese travel peaks, including the National Day holiday in early October and the upcoming Spring Festival in February, coincide with Turkiye's traditional autumn and winter low seasons. "This influx fills the economic void left when the summer wave of domestic and European tourists subsides," Karsli said.

The TGA is also positioning Turkiye as a year-round destination for Chinese visitors. In a recent initiative, it partnered with Turkish Airlines to invite Chinese influencers on customized tours of Trabzon, Rize and Artvin. The trips showcased the region's traditional tea harvesting and highland lifestyles, with content reaching millions of followers on Chinese social media platforms, including Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, and Weibo.

The growing number of independent travelers is also generating business for local communities.

"While this means a loss for travel agencies, it is a gain for hotels and local traders," said Nalan Yesilyurt, owner of DemCo Travel Organizations. By arranging their own itineraries and seeking out local food and experiences, these visitors are directing more of their spending toward hotels, restaurants and small businesses, she said.

For Xia Wenjie, a 29-year-old independent Chinese traveler, the visa-free policy and travel recommendations on RedNote were the main reasons for exploring Turkiye on her own.

"We tried local street food and explored independent shops," Xia said. Meals at street-level restaurants typically cost her more than 100 yuan ($14) per person, rising to as much as 300 yuan in parts of Antalya's historic old town on the Mediterranean coast.

The influx comes amid broader growth in Turkiye's tourism economy. On Oct 30, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced in Istanbul that tourism revenue reached $51.28 billion in the first nine months of the year. Average spending per visitor per night also increased 4.6 percent to $107.7.

Ersoy said the government's central strategy was to spread tourism demand across all 81 provinces and throughout the entire year. "We want our visitors to explore more cities, stay longer, and experience the diverse offerings of our country."

The TGA is also working to diversify travel itineraries and draw visitors to destinations beyond the country's established tourist hubs. These include southeastern Anatolia's archaeological treasures, such as the ancient site of Gobeklitepe and the monumental statues atop Mount Nemrut.

Konya, in central Turkiye, is another attraction. The city is home to the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to 13th-century Sufi mystic and philosopher Jalaluddin Rumi. His teachings have drawn interest among Chinese visitors for their philosophical parallels with Confucian thought.