Antalya, one of the most important tourism destinations in the world, entered the recovery process in 2021 after the great loss in 2020. The total number of tourists coming to Antalya in 2021 reached 9 million 81 thousand 502 people with an increase of 164% compared to 2020.
Antalya tourism experienced a significant recovery by overcoming the effects of the coronavirus epidemic in 2021. As of December 30, 2021, a total of 9 million 81 thousand 502 foreign tourists came to the city. According to the data of Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, 8 million 973 thousand 785 tourists landed at Antalya Airport and 107 thousand 717 tourists at Gazipasa Airport in the 12-month period between January 1 and December 30, 2021. Compared to 2020, there was an increase of 164% in the number of tourists coming to Antalya. The city, which reached 15 million 211 thousand tourists in the same period of 2019, experienced a loss of 40% compared to this year.
41% OF TOURISTS FROM RUSSIA
Looking at the distribution by nationalities, in the 11-month period covering January-November, the most tourists came to Antalya from Russia with 3 million 543 thousand 314. While the share of Russian tourists in the total number of tourists was 41%, Ukraine with 1 million 268 thousand 362 tourists, Germany with 1 million 223 thousand 158 tourists and Poland with 412 thousand 978 tourists followed.
THREE COUNTRIES WITH THE LEAST LOSSES
Antalya City Council Tourism Working Group President Recep Yavuz stated that the year 2021, when the corona aftershocks were felt strongly, closed with a loss of 70% worldwide compared to 2019. Yavuz said that the three countries with the least losses are Mexico, Croatia and Turkey.
ANTALYA IS TURKEY’S TRUMP CARD
Stating that the tourism activity started towards the middle of June in 2021, which was spent with constant restrictions and sanctions, Yavuz said, “While efforts to extend the season to the year continued, the season was shortened due to the corona. In the season, which was stuck in July-August-September, which constitutes the third quarter, especially Mediterranean countries came to the fore. While the losses suffered by Spain and France reached record levels, Turkey came to the fore with Antalya’s trump card.”
ANTALYA IS THE CITY WITH THE MOST TOURISTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
Yavuz said that Antalya, where 3.5 million tourists came in 2020, exceeded the number of 9 million tourists with an increase of 5.5 million, and became the city that received the most tourists among Mediterranean destinations with an increase of 164% compared to the previous year. Yavuz, “Antalya, which was exposed to the restrictions of European countries for a long time, England during the season and Russia at the beginning of the season, came to the fore with the move it made in the third quarter and October, despite all this.”
FIRST CHOICE OF RUSSIANS AND UKRAINIANS
Explaining that Antalya, which came to the agenda with the corona measures throughout 2020, achieved significant success for 2022 with the diploma maintained in 2021 and the dynamism of tourism professionals, Yavuz said, “9 million guests coming to our city will constitute the biggest data and data in the promotion of Antalya for 2022. The biggest advantage of Antalya compared to other holiday destinations was that it was the first choice of Russian and Ukrainian guests. Another big support came from our citizens living in Europe.”
Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz