While France and Italy top the list, another country to land in the top five of the most-visited in the world is Türkiye.
The 56 million international tourists who visited it in 2024 mark a 10% increase from the previous year — due to its location in the middle of the two continents, the country is particularly popular for quick getaways among visitors from many European and Asian countries.
While the capital city of Istanbul attracts the largest number of visitors, Türkiye is also known for all-inclusive beach resorts in Antalya as well as Cappadocia, a province that has become especially popular in recent years amid travel influencers posting viral images of hot air balloons flying over its ancient cave dwellings and rock formations at sunrise.
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‘Eager to see U.S. and Canadian holidaymakers take advantage’
As the country’s flagship airline, Turkish Airlines launched a new platform for international tourists to book vacations to the country instead of just the flight.
Previously available only to travelers departing from Türkiye, the Turkish Airlines Holidays launched for Europe and Asia in February 2025 and, as of May, is now also available to U.S. and Canadian travelers.
Similar to vacation platforms available with U.S.-based airlines like JetBlue (JBLU) and Southwest (LUV) , the Turkish Airlines version allows one to book and earn loyalty points on flights, hotels, car rentals, tours, and travel insurance both individually and as part of a package deal.
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Packages currently previewed on the Turkish Airlines website include flight-hotel deals for four- and five-star hotels in Dubai as well as four-day tours in Istanbul and Cappadocia. Other destinations include France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Australia.
“Guests traveling outbound from Türkiye have been enjoying the convenience of booking their entire trip through Turkish Airlines Holidays,” Turkish Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur said in a statement. “We received quite favorable feedback from our recent global expansion, and are very eager to see U.S. and Canadian holidaymakers take advantage of the comprehensive, one-stop booking platform that will transform their experiences as they travel around the world.”
Turkish Airlines planes stand in front of one another at an airport.
Image source: Shutterstock
New airline vacation platform mirrors similar programs with JetBlue, Southwest
Similar vacation platforms are available for travelers on both mainstream U.S. airlines like Delta (DAL) and budget ones like Southwest. While generally more expensive than booking separately through aggregators, such an option remains popular for those who are either using or collecting loyalty points. It also offers peace of mind and a single booking, should travel plans change.
In October 2024, Southwest partnered with cruise-booking platform World Travel Holdings to allow travelers to book flights and packages together with journeys on cruise lines such as Carnival (CCL) , Norwegian (NCLH) , and Royal Caribbean (RCL) .
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More recently in May, the Dallas-based carrier also announced the launch of its new Getaways by Southwest program to allow for more direct booking than what guests could previously find on Southwest Vacations.
“The program will initially launch with options to travel with major hospitality partners like Caesars Entertainment, Playa Hotels & Resorts, and Sandos Hotels & Resorts, focusing on leisure destinations in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean,” Southwest said in announcing the rebrand.
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