Antalya has started 2024 swiftly in tourism

Attracting tourists from all around the world and hosting 16,084,737 people in 2023, the city continues its momentum at the beginning of this year as well.

According to the data from the Culture and Tourism Provincial Directorate, Antalya was visited by 229,097 tourists in the first month of the year.

In January of last year, 220,010 people visited the city, resulting in a 4.13% increase in the number of visitors compared to last year.

Russians topped the list of tourists visiting the city with 57,366 people. Russia was followed by Germany with 39,427 tourists, the United Kingdom with 17,930 tourists, and Poland with 9,121 tourists. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Iran, Belgium, and Kyrgyzstan were among the other countries in the top 10.

The United Kingdom and Poland became alternative markets.

Hakan Saatçioğlu, the President of the Professional Hotel Managers Association, said that last year's record pleased tourism professionals and all industry stakeholders.

Saatçioğlu, expressing that tourism professionals are also hopeful for this year, said, "We have made our contacts for 2024, and according to the initial information we have received, there is a good increase in early bookings. This increase was expected. There are increases that will please us. All hotels have adjusted their price policies nicely and properly, so we are looking forward to 2024 with great hope.

Saatçioğlu noted positive developments, especially in the UK and Poland markets, saying, "In 2019, we welcomed 500,000 British tourists from the UK. Last year, however, Antalya hosted 1.3 million British tourists. This is a significant increase, which gives us hope. I believe this increase will continue in the British market. We expect about a 20% increase in the UK market this year."

Regarding the Polish market, Saatçioğlu mentioned a 35% increase last year and expressed expectations for this trend to continue this year.

Pointing out an increase in the Russian market as well, Saatçioğlu said, "We have not yet reached the numbers of 2019 in the Russian market. In 2019, we hosted 3.9 million Russian tourists in Antalya. Last year, 3.4 million Russian tourists visited. We expect more this year."

"We have established a very good trend."

Ali Kızıldağ, the general manager of a hotel in Belek Tourism Center, stated that they faced significant challenges in tourism, but despite this, they wrote beautiful stories and achieved great successes.

Expressing hopes for this year to be better than last year, Kızıldağ said:

"As an industry, without losing our determination and fighting spirit, we will make great efforts for 2024 to be better than 2023. There is incredible potential in Turkey. Our country, our culture, our gastronomy, our people, our hospitality, our nature, everything is suitable for this. The policies implemented are also good. We have established a very good trend."

Kızıldağ added that they are progressing confidently with successful tourism policies.