The archeological excavations in Yenikapı reveal that Istanbul's history dates back 8,500 years. Since the day of its foundation, Istanbul has developed under the domination of several states in history and been the center of various cultures.

Istanbul which was the capital of three large empires remained as the capital of the Ottoman Empire for 470 years until 1923, following its conquest in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror. Under the Ottoman rule, Istanbul became the center of science, culture and art, and became a city of culture where mosques, synagogues and churches stood together. Preserving this character until the present day, Istanbul receives millions of tourists every year.

While the number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul was 10 million 840 thousand 595 in 2017, this number increased by 24% to 13 million 433 thousand 101 in 2018.

Istanbul has several different types of tourism at the same time. It is possible to categorize them as cultural, health, camp and motor home, shopping, educational, cruise, sports and nature as well as belief tourism.