ANTALYA

The Mediterranean city of Antalya in southern Türkiye hosted 16.5 million tourists last year. Known as a jewel of the Turkish riviera, it now aims to exceed 17 million tourists in 2024, with intense demand promising many visitors in the coming two months.

Antalya hosts tourists from more than 180 countries worldwide, including Russia, Germany, Britain, Poland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ukraine.

Tourist visits rose 8% compared to the first eight months of 2023, as the sunkissed province has hosted 11.7 million tourists so far.

Last year, Antalya ranked fourth in number of international arrivals with 16.5 million, only after Dubai and ahead of Paris, while Istanbul, another Turkish tourist hub, ranked first, according to a report by Euromonitor International, released on Dec. 13, 2023.

Hakan Saatcioglu, head of the Türkiye-based Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD), told Anadolu that Antalya attracts tourists from all over the world and is preparing to break a new record by exceeding 17 million tourists by the end of the year.

"This month is going well and we have been receiving a high number of reservations for the next two months," he said.

In the domestic market, the number of bookings is already higher than last year, Saatcioglu noted, as local holiday-goers are better able to take advantage of early booking opportunities than international travelers.

"We got 15-20% early reservations in the domestic market, but this figure soared to 80-90% this year, with about 40% of our guests coming in July and August doing so at a discounted price," he added.

Although Antalya is often compared to Greece throughout the season, Saatcioglu stated that Greece was "not a competitor." One cannot find five-star all-inclusive hotels in Greece, he said, adding that all meals and drinks are included when visitors stay in those Antalya establishments.

Huseyin Kara, the deputy chairman of the board of directors of a hotel in Alanya, a seaside district of Antalya, told Anadolu that since the start of the season, occupancy rates have consistently been at least 95%.

To accommodate the continuing bookings, he said, the season's closing was extended a month from Oct. 30 to Nov. 30.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim