Tourists Record in Antalya: According to official figures released on Tuesday, Antalya, one of Turkey’s most popular travel destinations, had its biggest year ever in terms of foreign visitors in 2023, having welcomed close to 15.7 million visitors.
Over 15.69 million tourists visited the Mediterranean treasure from January to December, according to the province culture and tourism directorate, exceeding the previous record of 15.28 million set in 2019.
The record was achieved in spite of the terrible earthquakes that occurred in early February in the southeast of Turkey and the year-to-year stagnation in reservations.
Head of the Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD), Hakan Saatçioğlu, emphasized the rapid impact of any negative event, pointing out that those in the tourist business are acutely aware of global economic crises, conflicts, and other forms of tension.
Notwithstanding the difficulties, Saatçioğlu reported strong reservations, particularly following July 15.
In addition to arrivals from Russia, this year’s growth has been fueled by a surge of visitors from Europe, especially Germany and the United Kingdom. This is partially because of flight restrictions put in place by Western countries in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the total number of international visitors arriving in Turkey increased 10.82% year over year to a new high of 46.7 million in the first 11 months of the year.
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Tourists Record in Antalya: Statistics
With 3.46 million visitors from Russia, the country topped the list of countries visiting Antalya in 2023—a 14.1% increase over 2022.
With 3.36 million visits, up 19% from the previous year, Germans were the second-largest group of visitors, after only Americans.
Additionally, Antalya demonstrated its popularity as a travel destination by drawing 1.32 million British visitors, a 14.85% increase from 2022.