Fewer tourists come to Santa Claus Museum

DEMRE - Doğan News Agency

The Santa Claus Museum is one of the most popular tourist spots in Antalya but received half as many visitors and revenues in January year-on-year.

The Santa Claus (Noel Baba) Museum and the ancient city of Myra, located in the southern province of Antalya’s Demre district, received half as many visitors and revenues in January year-on-year.

One the most visited places in Antalya and its vicinity, the Santa Claus Museum, received 9,483 visitors and earned 93,120 Turkish Liras in January 2014.

This January, however, the number of visitors decreased to 4,633, while the revenue from visitors was just 33,642 liras.

The museum is regarded as holy, especially by Orthodox Christians.

Last year in January, the ancient city of Myra was visited by 6,535 people and earned 76,033 liras; this year, however, just 3,620 people visited the site, bringing in 28,796 liras.

Tourism managers in the region have registered their worries about the fall, expressing hopes that that the drop will only prove temporary.