The number of tourists who will rest by the end of the season in Antalya - the pearl of the Turkish Mediterranean , is expected to exceed 17 million people, the president of the Association of Hotel Managers Hakan Saatcioglu announced at a press conference.
In his words, according to the preliminary reservations, the active tourist flow will continue in the months of October and until the end of November this year
Last year, 16.5 million people vacationed in Antalya, and the goal is to exceed 17 million people this year.
During the first eight months of this year, 11.762 million tourists from more than 180 countries, including Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Romania and Ukraine, vacationed in Antalya - 8 percent more compared to the same period of last year.
September is going well, we have very good bookings for October and November, especially from the European market. We will exceed the planned figures, said Saatcioglu.
There is also a recovery in the domestic market. Local tourists have very actively benefited from early (advance) bookings, which this year reached 80-90 percent, while in previous years they reached 15-20 percent. In July and August, guests who made early reservations vacationed 40 percent cheaper than others.
The tourist flow is also active in Alanya, the other large resort center in the Turkish Mediterranean region, which is about 200 km from Antalya.
Alania also has its own airport, which makes it especially easy for foreign tourists, says the representative of the tourism association Husein Kara.
According to him, 95 percent was the occupancy of the hotels throughout the season. Great interest has been shown by German and British tourists. Reservations continue, therefore the hotel season has been extended until the end of November this year