Antalya welcomes summer in Perge

ANTALYA – DHA

A “welcome summer” party and a concert was organized on May 10 in the ancient city of Perge. The event was declared as part of the “Year of Perge” in the southern touristic province of Antalya. 

Last year over 10 million tourists visited Antalya but only 60,000 people visited Perge and this year the goal is to bring at least 4 million tourists to the ancient city. 

Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu, who was attending a meeting in the southern province of Gaziantep, made a conference call during the event, saying Antalya had made a very good start to 2018. 

“Right now we have 45 percent more visitors compared to last year. It is increasing every other day. As this year is the Year of Perge, we are open the season there … Similar meetings and events can be organized in Perge and in this way more people come here,” Karaloğlu said. 

Antalya Mayor Menderes Türel said Perge was a “cradle of civilization,” adding that highlighting an ancient city every year was very important for the promotion of the city across the world. 

“This year we expect to host 14 million tourists in Antalya. We aim to make up for lost years and expect at least 4 million tourists to visit Perge this year,” Türel said.