Antalya - the tourist pearl of southern Turkey, which broke a record for the number of foreign tourists last year, is expected to surpass last year's figures in 2025.
Over 2.2 million tourists visited Antalya in October. This is an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2024.
In the first 10 months of the current year, the number of tourists visiting this Turkish resort also exceeded those visiting it in the period January-October 2024 by 176,884 people, according to an analysis by the Anadolu Agency, quoted by Daily Sabah.
During this period, Antalya received the most visitors from Russia - nearly 3.9 million. Germany is next with 3.34 million tourists and the UK with 1.47 million. The top 10 also includes Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
After ending last year with 17.2 million tourists, Antalya is expected to surpass that figure this year and set a new record.
The city's governor - Hulusi Şahin - said that Antalya hosts two to three times more foreign tourists than the population of many countries. He added that while these figures are good, there is potential for them to be increased further.
“We have the necessary potential for this. What can we do? First, make tourists happy so that they come back next year. Second, there will be so many events and attractions that they will say: “7 days are not enough, I will stay another day or two. This will increase length of stay“, he added.
To this end, he stressed the importance of strong gastronomy and activities.
“We say that “the season ends in November“, but November and December are also beautiful months here. March and April are also wonderful“, Şahin explained. “If we include these months in tourism, especially cultural tourism, this period becomes ideal, with a climate suitable for exploring everything. We have to work on this“.
Şahin also stressed that they are focusing on sporting events to promote winter tourism.
The tourist center of Belek is particularly well positioned for camping and golf, and investments are being made in nature tourism in the Kemer region.
Şahin stressed that all sectors of society have embraced tourism in Antalya, which contributes to its success. “We reached last year's numbers and even slightly exceeded them. By the beginning of the new year, we will finish the year above last year's level“.