The tourism sector has reached greater masses of people and more distant places following the World War 2. With the giant dimensions it has gained at the national and international levels, tourism has become a socio-economic activity, which enhances the development of investment and business volumes, generates income, provides foreign exchange, creates employment opportunities and thereby influences socio-cultural life. As a result, we observe the increasing concentration of the attention of different countries on this field of economic activity. As far as Turkey is concerned, tourism has become an important sector of the economy after 1980. It has been making greater direct and indirect contributions to the Turkish economy every year trough the income it creates and the employment and investment opportunities it provides. At the same time, this article includes the share of Turkey’s tourism sector within the world total compared with other countries.