Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Bulgarian tourists are showing interest in Turkey and Antalya in particular. In an interview with BTA, he expressed hope that the region can cooperate with Bulgaria in a number of areas and highlighted the potential that Antalya has with its agriculture, trade, healthcare and education.
„We are very happy that Bulgarians are showing interest in our country and especially in Antalya. In order to increase this interest, we strive to welcome our guests in the best way and are actively working for this with all our partners. This includes activities from the organization of traffic and transport, through food safety, price monitoring and health infrastructure. We are increasingly implementing artificial intelligence and preparing training programs with it. We are constantly improving the infrastructure and quality of service. Our goal is to make Antalya a destination that is not preferred just once, but a place where people want to return again and again“, said the Governor of Antalya.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, over 17 million tourists visited Antalya in 2025, and tourists from Bulgaria to Turkey reached 2.8 million people.
„We have strong ties with Bulgaria, which are based on friendship, good neighborliness and a strong economy. Bulgaria provides important opportunities as one of Turkey's important trade partners, and for Antalya – through holiday tourism, health tourism, agricultural technologies and cultural events“, said Hulusi Şahin.
The Antalya Governorship hosted a forum of women entrepreneurs, which is being held in the Turkish resort between June 15-18, 2026. It brings together business representatives from countries in the region, and from Bulgaria, nearly 30 business representatives from the “Bulgarian-Turkish Women's Business Club“ with chairman Türkyan Türker are participating.
“The meeting of women managers from 19 countries, which we are organizing, is part of our vision for the development of Antalya, because such platforms are extremely important for international trade and the creation of new partnerships. I believe that the contacts that were made during the event will also turn into sustainable projects“, said the Antalya Governor.
With the COP31 climate summit, which Antalya will host, approaching, the district is increasingly actively preparing not only to welcome world leaders, but also to be an example of environmental protection.
“Antalya Governorship has launched the “Blue Mediterranean of Antalya“ initiative. We are leading a number of projects under the motto “The Sea in Antalya is Always Clean“ in the context of the idea of “Zero Waste“ (part of an environmental project under the auspices of the wife of the Turkish President Emine Erdogan – ed. note.). We are taking concrete steps in a wide range of areas – coastal cleaning, integrated waste management, environmental awareness training and activities to create sustainable tourism. Our goal is to make Antalya one of the cleanest, most sustainable and most eco-friendly coastal cities in the Mediterranean and to be a world example in this regard“, emphasized the Antalya Governor.
Thus, the district is moving towards achieving its goal of becoming a center of climate diplomacy and contributing to the fight against climate change, he added.