In Antalya, which broke an all-time record in tourism with approximately 15.5 million tourists, it is noteworthy that the season has spread over 12 months, as well as the increase in the number of tourists and income.
Antalya, which stands out in many tourism branches, including sea, sand and sun, as well as culture, sports and congress, left behind the figures of 2019, when it hosted the most tourists. The city, which attracted guests from more than 100 countries, mainly Russia, Germany, England, Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania and the Czech Republic, experienced an extended season.
Antalya Governor Hulusi Sahin told the AA correspondent that Turkiye and Antalya entered a much faster recovery process after the Covid-19 epidemic.
Stating that this year’s figures made tourism professionals and other sectors fed by tourism happy, Sahin said, “With the tourists coming in December, Antalya caught up and surpassed 2019, which was its peak year. I estimate that by the end of the year, we will have surpassed 2019 with a rate of 5%. This is an all-time record. We are based on tourists arriving by plane, which is approximately 15.5 million, but we can say ‘we hosted 20 million tourists this year’ with those arriving by other means.”
Pointing out that there have been significant increases in tourism revenues, Sahin reported that per capita income increased from around $80 to $100.
Emphasizing that Antalya’s contribution to the country’s economy is undeniably valuable, Sahin continued as follows:
“Considering that incoming tourists spend $100 a day and the average number of overnight stays in Antalya is 8, we have a contribution of $14 billion a year to the country’s economy. TUIK announced the contributions of provinces to the gross domestic product in recent weeks. We come second after Istanbul, as the province that contributes the most. We owe this largely to tourism.”
Tourism diversity is high in Antalya
Governor Sahin stated that Antalya has a rich potential in tourism and that he is trying to make the best use of it, and that apart from beach tourism, the city also stands out in areas such as golf, culture, congress and health.
Stating that the city ranks first in the country in this field, especially with the golf courses it has, Sahin noted that golf attracts tourists who spend more, and also provides tourist mobility during the dead periods of the season.
Stating that health tourism has also gained significant momentum, Sahin said that the region has also come to the fore in cultural tourism.
Explaining that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has made serious investments in archaeological excavations in ancient cities, Sahin said, “The Ministry of Culture and Tourism plans to carry out more excavations in the history of the Republic in 4 years and provides a very intensive allocation of funds in this regard. We are reaping the fruits of this. We have become a very good example in Side, I recommend everyone to see the new version of Side. Then comes Phaselish, Perge and Patara.”
Sahin stated that the appointment of a Turkish archaeologist by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the excavations where foreign archaeologists took part also accelerated the work.
Stating that congress tourism started on September 15 and continued during the winter period, Sahin reminded that the G20, where world leaders met, the Antalya Democracy Forum and many other international summits were hosted in Antalya.
Stating that the tourism season in the city spreads over 12 months with fairs, festivals, congresses and sports tournaments, Sahin noted that tourism activity in the city continues throughout the year.
Most of the bed capacity in Turkiye is in Antalya
Sahin emphasized that Antalya’s infrastructure is also strong.
Stating that the majority of Turkiye’s bed capacity is in Antalya, Sahin said, “We have a bed capacity of over 640 thousand and around 2,500 tourism facilities. Approximately 400 thousand of the 640 thousand bed capacity are 5-star hotels. These are big numbers. If you consider that the tourist bed capacity in Turkiye was less than the island of Rhodes in the early 1980s, you will see that the progress we have made is incredible.”
Sahin also mentioned that Turkiye ranks third in the world in the number of blue flag beaches and marinas.
Noting that there are around 250 blue flag beaches in Antalya, Sahin said, “We undertake almost half of the total blue flag beaches in Turkiye, which are around 550.”
Sahin reminded that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has invested in biological treatment facilities in order to ensure the sustainability of tourism, and stated that the infrastructure in this area has also been strengthened.
Emphasizing that they hope to have a good season in terms of tourism next year, Sahin said, “Turkiye has a lot more share to get from the $1 trillion world tourism cake. We will go further. We rank 6th in the world in terms of income and 4th in the number of tourists. We are planning to be among the top 5 in terms of revenue.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz