Antalya broke ‘Turkish expatriates record’ last year

ANTALYA

Turkish citizens living abroad have taken the fifth place after Russians, Germans, British and Poles who visited the southern province of Antalya the most in 2022, leaving behind the number of expats witnessed in 2019.

Türkiye has become the third country hosting the most tourists in the world for the first time, while Antalya is expected to rank among the top three tourist destinations worldwide.

In the famous touristic city, where nearly 13.5 million tourists arrived by air last year, Turkish expatriates, mostly living in European countries, occupy a critical place in the number of tourists in the city.

While 2022 was the year that Antalya hosted the most expatriates, Turkish expats ranked fifth among the tourists the city welcomed.

Approximately 682,000 expats visited the southern province in 2022.

Previously, the year in which Turkish citizens living in foreign countries preferred Antalya the most for vacation was 2019.

Recep Yavuz from the Tourism Working Group at the Antalya City Council described Turkish expats as “loyal visitors,” stating that with a number approaching 700,000, Turkish citizens abroad constitute the fifth largest tourist mass.

“The arrivals, which were around 630,000 in 2019, increased to 682,000 in 2022, setting another record. This expatriate figure was also added to other records in the year of records for Antalya,” Yavuz expressed.

“The young generation in Europe takes holidays under any circumstances and prefers Türkiye first,” he added.

Providing information regarding the first four nations that visit the city the most, Yavuz stated that Russian tourists took the first place with more than 3 million visitors.

Germans followed the Russians with 2.9 million visitors, while the British ranked third with about 1 million visitors.

Stating that last year’s figures exceeded 2019 when German tourists visited the city the most, Yavuz said, “The current picture shows that it will increase this year as well. Logistical and operational problems experienced in other destinations, disruptions in pandemic management and excessive price increases have turned the route of the Germans to Antalya.”

Polish tourists ranked fourth among tourist groups the city hosted the most, with 765,000 visitors.

Pointing out that the city welcomed many people from 197 countries, Yavuz said Antalya was like a United Nations city last summer.

“The next three months are crucial as people make up their minds during these months about which tourist destinations to visit for vacationing. At least half a billion people are making vacation plans these days. Türkiye and Antalya are among the preferred options for most tourists. It would be extremely pessimistic to think that 2023 will be quiet unless an extraordinary situation occurs,” Yavuz explained.