Türkiye's popular coastal gem Antalya aims to surpass last year's figures in the number of hosted visitors, eyeing to exceed 17 million tourists in 2024, with intense demand promising arrivals to continue in the coming two months.
Known as the jewel of the Turkish Riviera, 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 Saatçioğlu, head of the Türkiye-based Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD), told Anadolu Agency (AA) recently 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, Saatçıoğlu 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, Saatçioğlu 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.
Top holiday locations, including Antalya and Muğla's Bodrum, were challenged this year by a special visa that allows Turkish citizens to visit 10 Greek islands, with many opting for short-term trips.
Season extended
However, intense interest from foreign travelers persisted and German tour giant TUI Group cited recently Antalya to be its most popular destination, particularly for families.
Earlier, the industry representatives conveyed expectations that around 7 million German tourists might visit the popular destination this year, thus being one of the top nations having the most visitors in Antalya, along with Russia.
Huseyin Kara, the deputy chairperson of the board of directors of a hotel in Alanya, a seaside district of Antalya, similarly in his interview with AA highlighted the potential of the region and robust arrivals, particularly from Germany and the U.K.
He noted 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.
The tourism industry has seen a strong rebound this year, following COVID-19 constraints, with U.N. Tourism noting recently that "international tourism bounced back to 96% of pre-pandemic levels in the seven months through July 2024."
It also said that receipts and expenditure data showed even stronger results in the first six months, with many countries reporting strong double-digit growth compared to 2019, seen in local currencies and current prices.
Tagging its strong results it said Türkiye's receipts grew by 55% in the stated period.
However, it said experts pointed to inflation in travel and tourism, namely high transport and accommodation prices, as the main challenge the tourism sector is currently facing, as well as the global economic situation, staff shortages and extreme weather events.
Türkiye, which welcomed 56.7 million visitors in 2023, aims to lift this figure to 60 million this year while generating $60 billion in revenues.