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During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of tourists arriving in Turkey declined to around 16 million in 2020. This was the lowest number of tourists in the last decade. In 2021, Turkey’s tourism recovered from the pandemic as it contributed $59.3 billion to the GDP, which made up 7.3% of the total economy.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
As of 2021, Turkey accommodates 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 17 cultural and 2 mixed. The last addition is Arslantepe being added in 2021.

Health Tourism
An emerging branch of tourism in Turkey in recent years is medical tourism. One of the more popular medical procedures is hair transplants, as it draws in thousands of tourists every year. In 2021, the revenue generated from medical tourism was given as $1.05 billion with 642,000 people that visited for the purpose of getting medical service. This is due to Turkey offering high-quality clinics for affordable pricing compared to the rest of Europe and its central location between Asia and Europe. Other reasons for the high demand for healthcare in Turkey are foreigners having easy visa procedures and immediate scheduling for operations.

The Chasms of Heaven and Hell are located in the rural region of Silifke, a district in Mersin. The chasms are two sinkholes that were naturally formed from underground waters melting the layer of limestone above. The heaven sinkhole has a small monastery located in the corner of the entrance. The deepest point of the sinkhole is 135 meters deep. The hell sinkhole is 128 meters deep. In mythology, there is a story of Zeus temporarily trapping Typhon in the sinkhole.

The Mersin Citrus Festival is a festival organized to promote the citrus produced in Mersin. The festival typically includes folk dancers from different traditions and sculptures constructed from different types of citrus. The first festival was held in 2010. The festival is held annually on a weekend in November.