The high number of visitors coming to the country in a given period of time puts a strain on the environment, for example, through the excessive consumption of natural resources at certain times of the year, wastewater, waste generation, noise, etc.

The number of tourists is the number obtained by subtracting the number of overnight tourists from the total number of foreign visitors coming to Turkey and the number of citizens living abroad.

The number of tourists in Turkey, which was 15,775,021 in 2003, reached 51,191,882 in 2019. In 2019, the number of tourists increased by 11.85% compared to 2018.

However, due to the Covid 19 epidemic that affected the whole world, the number of tourists in 2020 was 15,893,967, and the number of tourists decreased by 68.95% in 2020 compared to 2019.

GRAPH 152- NUMBER OF INBOUND TOURISTS IN THE PERIOD 2003-2020

Source: TURKSTAT, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2021

Looking at the distribution of tourist numbers by month, it can be seen that tourists visit Turkey mainly in the summer months. The per capita water consumption in tourist facilities, which exceeds the norms, and the fact that this consumption takes place in summer, when water resources are at their lowest, lead to environmental problems related to water. There is also a risk that excessive water extraction from deep wells will exacerbate the water problem.

GRAPH 153- MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION OF INBOUND TOURISTS TO TURKEY IN 2019-2020

Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2021