Analysis of Turkey's Tourism by Type of Expenditure: The Impact of COVID-19, Recovery Process, and Growth Period

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a significant blow to the global tourism sector, leading to substantial losses in tourism incomes across countries. Due to travel restrictions, border closures, quarantine measures, and health concerns, the number of international tourists rapidly decreased. This situation deeply affected countries heavily dependent on tourism incomes. The recovery period, evwhich began in 2021, is still ongoing.

This study aims to examine Turkey's tourism incomes by spending categories, as it ranks among the top 5 countries in the world. Additionally, this study investigates how the global COVID-19 pandemic impacted Turkish tourism incomes and the recovery process that followed. Tourism incomes are analyzed according to 12 different spending categories. The data set used in the study covers the period from 2012 to 2023. The data was obtained from the "Exit Visitors Survey" published by the Turkish Statistical Institute. According to the analysis results, significant decreases in tourism spending categories were observed during and after the pandemic period. However, following the end of the pandemic's effects, the Turkish tourism sector rapidly recovered, breaking records in terms of tourist numbers and tourism incomes.