Antalya pins its hopes on end to Russia-Ukraine conflict

Antalya pins its hopes on end to Russia-Ukraine conflict

ANTALYA
Antalya pins its hopes on end to Russia-Ukraine conflictAntalya pins its hopes on end to Russia-Ukraine conflict

Antalya, a key holiday destination in Türkiye, is pinning its hopes on a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to drive a significant increase in tourist numbers.

Antalya welcomed a record 17.28 million visitors last year, with Russians topping the list.

The number of tourists arriving in Antalya in 2024 increased by 8 percent compared to the previous year and reached 16.93 million.

Including the 352,754 transfer passengers entering the city from Antalya Airport, the total number of visitors to the city in 2024 was 17.28 million.

“Our expectations for 2025 is much higher,” said Yusuf Hacısüleyman, the president of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO).

“If the war between Russia and Ukraine ends in a ceasefire, there will be a big increase in tourist numbers. Our estimate is that it could reach 20 million [visitors],” he added.

Even if there is no end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, tourist arrivals in Antalya will increase by 6 to 8 percent in 2025, according to Hacısüleyman.

Antalya, which is the fourth most visited city in the world, provides a large part of Türkiye’s tourism revenues, he noted.

The city accounted for 46 percent of the overnight stays in the country with the per capita income at $979.

Last year, Antalya welcomed 3.9 million Russians, followed by Germans at 3.52 million and British nationals at 1.57 million.

The other countries on the list of top visitors included Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.

Foreign population

 

The number of foreign nationals living in the city, which surged after the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, declined to around 105,000, Hacısüleyman also said.

Antalya, which ranks first in housing sales to foreigners, is the 3rd province in Türkiye with the highest population growth, he added.

Antalya has the sixth largest economy in Türkiye, according to Hacısüleyman.

“The city is good in tourism and agriculture but weak in industry,” he said.

ATSO has 64,000 members, 10 percent of which are companies with foreign capital, he furthered.

Hacısüleyman pointed out that Syrians who took refuge in Türkiye due to the civil war work mostly in the agricultural sector.

No one expected the rapid change in Syria, he said, referring to the toppling of the Assad regime.

“Of course, they [Syrians] will want to return to their hometowns. This, however, may cause problems with finding workers,” he stated.