Despite facing reservation cancellations following the massive Feb. 6 earthquakes that hit Türkiye’s southeast region, UNESCO World Heritage site Pamukkale, known as the "white paradise," in western Türkiye’s Denizli province attracted more visitors than in previous years during the first three months of this year.
Pamukkale's thermal facilities in particular saw a surge in visitors during the recent half-term holiday.
According to official figures, the region welcomed 229,897 visitors between January and March this year, compared to 129,469 visitors during the same period last year.
Gazi Murat Şen, chairperson of Denizli Touristic Hotel and Operators Association (DENTUROD) told Anadolu Agency (AA) that after the earthquakes, they saw a downturn in domestic guests traveling to their area.
Noting that despite the setbacks, tourism professionals continue their preparations for the region to gain vitality, Şen said. "Starting from June, we will see that the demand will increase again, especially regarding foreign arrivals."
"We have not lost our hope for 2023. We have set a target of 3 million visitors for Pamukkale. We will do our best as tourism professionals to reach this target," he said.
Şen stated that some 86,911 travelers visited the region in January, and although they experienced a decline in February, the numbers were started to rise in March.
"In the first three months, Pamukkale received approximately 230,000 visitors. The months we receive the highest number of visitors are generally July, August, September and October. In these months, we attracted over 400,000 visitors in a month in earlier seasons," he explained, adding that, they expect a higher number of arrivals this year as well, with the beginning of the season.
The Pamukkale region is particularly famous for its natural spring, situated in close proximity to the white travertine terraces. Dating back to ancient Hierapolis, this pool formed naturally after the collapse of a series of columns in an earthquake in 692 A.D., which caused thermal water to accumulate.
Meanwhile, thanks to the successful promotional efforts led by YDA Dalaman Airport and its stakeholders, Türkiye’s southwestern touristic province of Muğla and its surroundings has emerged as a key destination, particularly among European travelers, a report by Turkish daily Sabah said Thursday.
The efforts have yielded visible positive results, with a surge in tourist arrivals to the region.
The airport wasted no time in kicking off the summer season, as flights began as early as March 17 and quickly filled up.
According to the information received from the airport management, Dalaman Airport served 2,240 aircraft and 327,307 passengers during the winter season.
Türkiye has seen a complete tourism rebound as the number of foreign tourists near the record and all-time high revenues seen in 2022, prompting the government to raise its tourism estimates for this year.
Foreign visitors surged 80.33% year-over-year to 44.6 million in 2022, just shy of the peak of 45.1 million in 2019. The figure is compared to the 24.71 million arrivals in 2021 and 12.73 million in 2020.
Tourism revenues jumped 53.4% to a record $46.3 billion last year, blowing past the previous high of $38.4 billion in 2019 before the pandemic hit. The figure stood at $30.2 billion in 2021 after the outbreak more than halved it to just $14.8 billion in 2020.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy previously said foreign arrivals are expected to reach 60 million in 2023, before hitting 90 million in 2028. Regarding income, the government sees it rising to $56 billion this year and $100 billion five years from now.