Turkiye goes all out to attract Chinese visitors

The number of Chinese visitors to Turkiye increased by 65.1 percent year-on-year to around 410,000 in 2024.

This has pushed the country — which blends Eastern and Western cultures as it sits at the intersection of Asia and Europe — to set an ambitious target of receiving 1 million Chinese tourists annually.

"China stands out as one of the key emerging markets for the Turkish tourism industry," Sinan Seha Turkseven, acting general manager of Turkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), said in an interview while attending the annual travel trade show ITB China held in Shanghai late last month.

Turkseven was attending the event for the first time in person.

The 1 million goal can be realistically achieved in three years, he added. The estimate is based on the fact that the number of direct flights between China and Turkiye will more than double from 21 to 49 per week. The expansion, the result of an MOU signed between the aviation authorities in mid-May, is the largest of its kind connecting the two countries in 15 years.

The fact that Chinese tourists will be granted e-visas seven or 10 days after the application will also make Turkiye more easily accessible, helping to reach the preset visitor arrival target, he said.

Deepening cooperation with local Chinese players is part of TGA's efforts to attract more Chinese tourists. During ITB China 2025, TGA inked an MOU with Chinese online travel agency Fliggy to advance cooperation in destination marketing and promotions, online and offline events and the supply of innovative travel products.

This will increase TGA's cooperation with local online travel agencies such as Trip.com, the largest of its kind in China.

Teaming up with Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and Ant Group has been a must for most companies and institutions aiming to further tap into the Chinese market, and TGA is one of them. It entered into a cooperation agreement with Tencent two years ago when TGA attended the ITB China for the first time.

Alipay, a subsidiary of Ant Group, is making its payment function accessible to Chinese tourists visiting Turkiye as TGA has been working with it over the past 12 months. Booking flights, hotels, visa applications or searching for other travel-related information will be made available to Chinese tourists in Turkiye at the end of this year, according to Turkseven.

He said China's market potential is huge.

Data show that Turkiye receives a growing number of Chinese tourists traveling on their own, and the trend is extremely evident among those from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guangdong province and Chengdu, Sichuan province.

While iconic places with rich historic and cultural significance, such as Istanbul and Cappadocia, remain top favorites for Chinese tourists, Turkseven said that Chinese visitors will increasingly discover new destinations through themed travel such as sustainable tourism and wellness retreats.

"Compared to a decade ago, Chinese tourists today are more experience-driven. They seek personalized, in-depth cultural, culinary and natural experiences rather than just ticking off famous landmarks. These travelers tend to stay longer, explore more regions, and invest in premium experiences such as boutique accommodation," he said.

According to Jing Daily, a US digital publication focusing on luxury consumer trends in China, premium tastes are defining China's new tourism landscape, with 67 percent of Chinese travelers now preferring four-star hotels or higher, up from 63.7 percent in the third quarter of 2024.

Nearly half of the tourists plan to spend at least 25,000 yuan ($3,480) per trip, with 24 percent budgeting over 50,000 yuan, according to a post on its website on April 5.