One of Türkiye's favored destinations, Antalya, marked its best year in tourism ever as it welcomed nearly 15.7 million foreigners in 2023, according to official data Tuesday.
The provincial culture and tourism directorate said the Mediterranean gem welcomed about 15.69 million tourists from January through December, surpassing its earlier peak set in 2019 at 15.28 million.
The record came despite the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye's southeastern region in early February and the stagnating bookings at the beginning of the year.
Emphasizing the immediate impact of any adverse event, Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) head Hakan Saatçioğlu noted that worldwide economic crises, wars and other kinds of tensions are keenly felt by those in the tourism industry.
Despite the challenges, Saatçioğlu said they witnessed robust bookings, especially after July 15.
"Our goal was to surpass 2019; we achieved the goal this year," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
This year's momentum has been driven by an influx of tourists from Europe, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom, besides arrivals from Russia, partly due to flight restrictions imposed by Western nations over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Overall, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Türkiye rose 10.82% year-over-year to a record high of 46.7 million in the first 11 months of the year, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry data.
Visitors from Russia topped the 2023 list among nations arriving in Antalya at 3.46 million, marking a 14.1% increase compared to the previous year.
Following closely behind, Germans comprised the second-largest group of visitors at 3.36 million, a rise of 19% year-over-year.
Antalya also proved to be a significant attraction for tourists from the U.K. as it welcomed 1.32 million Brits, a 14.85% increase from 2022.
Poland was a surprising contributor to the surge, as nearly 1.1 million Polish citizens chose the city as their holiday destination in 2023. The figure marked a 39.6% increase compared to the previous year.
"The Polish and U.K. markets have made a surprise this year. They are important markets in terms of tourism; we think these will grow even more," Saatçioğlu said.
"We are also hopeful for 2024."
The Culture and Tourism Ministry also noted arrivals from the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania, Czech Republic, Israel and Ukraine.
Tourism is a critical source of revenue for Türkiye as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government focus on reducing the current account deficit to tackle stubborn inflation.
The January-November arrivals surpassed 2022, when some 44.6 million tourists arrived, an 80.3% year-over-year increase and just shy of the earlier peak of 45.1 million in 2019. The government anticipated a total of 60 million arrivals this year.
Tourism revenue climbed 53.4% to a record high of nearly $46.3 billion in 2022 as the lingering effects of the pandemic dissipated and Russian arrivals skyrocketed after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Income rose over 20% from a year ago to $42 billion this January-September.
Tourism contributes about 10% to Türkiye's gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, around 1.7 million people worked in accommodation and food services in 2022 – about 5% of total employment.