Antalya sees record high arrivals from Russia

ANTALYA

Russian tourists visiting Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya hit an all-time record, reaching 3.4 million by the end of September, the local governor said on Oct. 2.

Münir Karaloğlu said more than 3.3 million Russian tourists had visited Antalya in 2014, adding that more Russian tourists would visit the province in the coming months, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

In the first eight months of this year, 6.8 million tourists visited Antalya.

Karaloğlu also said Russian tourists come to Antalya to buy property.

Amid a diplomatic crisis with Russia, 2016 was a loss year for the city. A total of 5.7 million tourists visited Antalya in 2016 with a 45 percent year-on-year decrease.

The number of arrivals from Russia plunged to 486,000 in 2016 with an 82.6 percent decrease compared to the previous year.