Antalya welcomes record 4 mln tourists in five months

ISTANBUL

Antalya, one of Türkiye’s most popular holiday destinations, welcomed 3.96 million foreign tourists in the first five months of 2024.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the January-May period increased by a strong 16.3 percent from a year ago, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said in a statement.

Some 4 million tourists marked the highest-ever foreign arrivals for the January-May period, according to the ministry.

Some 974,272 Germans vacationed in the province on the Mediterranean coast, topping the list of foreign tourists visiting Antalya.

Russians ranked second at 858,000, followed by Britons at more than 451,000, the ministry said.

Tourist arrivals from Germany and Russia increased by 18 percent and 9 percent, respectively, from the January-May period last year. The number of British tourists surged 28 percent year-on-year.

Antalya also drew a large number of holidaymakers from Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belgium, and France.

Tourist arrivals from Poland leaped 35 percent, while the year-on-year increase for the Dutch and Ukrainian tourists was 16 percent and 59 percent, respectively, according to the ministry.

In May alone, Antalya attracted a total of 1.9 million foreign holidaymakers, marking a steep 18.7 percent increase from the same month of 2023.

Last month, Russians topped the list of foreign tourists at 491,000, a 26 percent increase from a year ago, while Germans and Britons came second and third at 435,000 and 185,000, respectively.

The number of Germans and Britons visiting Antalya rose by 14 percent and 24 percent, respectively, said the ministry.