The number of people arriving by air from abroad to Antalya, which hosts tourists in the winter season and makes a good start to the season, exceeded the figures of 2019, which was a record year.
Antalya, which hosts tourists from all over the world with its beaches, nature, historical and cultural values, started the 2023 season fast.
Antalya, where 1 million 560 thousand 862 people came by air in the first 4 months of the record year 2019, left the same period of 2019 behind in the period of 1 January-28 April this year.
Antalya Governor Ersin Yazici told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the number of tourists coming from abroad by air has reached 1 million 686 thousand 284 people since the beginning of the year.
Stating that the numbers will make the industry smile, Yazici said, “We have started to see 40-45 thousand people at the airport on weekends, and there are 30-35 thousand daily foreign tourist arrivals during the week. We are doing well now.”
Yazici noted that the winter season was also very good in the city, and that the figures for October, November, December last year and January, February and March this year passed with significant increases compared to previous years.
Reminding that the most tourists were hosted in Antalya in 2019, Yazici said, “We hope to catch or even pass 2019, our peak year. Expectations and preparations are in this direction.”
Yazici stated that they often come together with the representatives of the tourism sector and said that the sector is hopeful for the year in general, and that the reservations are progressing in line with the expectations.
Noting that Russia ranks first in the list of countries sending the most tourists, as in recent years, Yazici stated that Russia is followed by Germany with a very close figure. Stating that England and Poland are in the top four, Yazici drew attention to the fact that tourists from different countries came to Antalya this year.
Yazici stated that the representatives of the sector are working on alternative markets and they are starting to bear fruit.
Emphasizing that the expectation for a very good year is dominant in tourism, Yazici said, “Tourism is a sector that can be affected very quickly. We pray that there will not be any negativity both in the world and in our country.”
“Especially after May, there will be a serious density in the city”
Riza Percin, Chairman of the Mediterranean Region Representation Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said that the hotels that have been closed during the winter season have also started to open.
Expressing that the mobility in the city has increased and they expect a serious increase momentum especially from May, Percin said, “We started this year very well. We survived a great earthquake. Despite this, our country continues to attract tourists. Especially after May, there will be a serious density in the city. Reservations are in this direction. As the industry, we are pleased with this activity. There are increases from European Union countries, and this year we will perhaps host tourists even from countries whose names we rarely hear.”
Stating that there has been some stagnation in this market due to the economic problems in Russia, Percin said that Russian tourists will continue to come.
Emphasizing that tourism feeds many sectors, Percin added that the dynamism in tourism makes everyone happy.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, Antalya hosted approximately 15.5 million foreign tourists in 2019, showing the best performance of all time in tourism.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz