The number of paid employees in Türkiye’s tourism sector fell by more than 64,000 in the first eight months of 2026, with hotels bearing the brunt of the decline, according to an analysis of official data reported by trade outlet Turizm Güncel on Tuesday.
The figures, compiled by research firm Turizm Databank from Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data, show average paid employment across tourism-related businesses fell 4.1% year on year to 1,514,814 in January-August, down from 1,579,129 in the same period of 2025. That is a net loss of 64,315 jobs, a figure the outlet rounded to 65,000 in its headline. The comparison uses average monthly employment over the eight-month period rather than a single month.
Hotels and travel agencies cut staff
The sharpest fall was in accommodation. Hotels and other lodging businesses employed an average of 407,953 people, down 18.2% from 498,686 a year earlier, a loss of around 90,700 jobs.
Travel agencies and tour operators also shrank, with average employment down 10% to 63,890 from 71,028.
Two segments grew. Food and beverage businesses, the largest part of the sector by headcount, added staff, rising 3.1% to 981,539 from 951,765. Airline employment rose 6.6% to 61,433 from 57,650, in line with continued capacity growth by Turkish carriers.
A softer season on the coast
The data cover the peak summer months and match signs of a weaker season in parts of the coast. Hoteliers in the Aegean have described 2026 as a mixed year, with autumn occupancy in Bodrum and Kuşadası below expectations, while Antalya, the country’s biggest resort province, continued to draw large numbers of Russian, German and Polish visitors, according to nine-month arrival figures.
The report did not break the figures down by region or explain how much of the hotel decline reflected closures, shorter seasons or a shift to seasonal and unregistered staff. TÜİK’s figures count employees registered for social security, so they do not capture informal work.
The decline in tourism contrasts with the wider labour market, where the headline unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in August.
For residents in resort areas, staffing trends in hotels and restaurants affect service levels and the length of the season. Background on the country’s largest resort economy is in our guide to living in Antalya.
Sources
Photo: Jörg Fuhrmann (Intermerker) / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
