Antalya hosts 15 mln foreign tourists already this year

ANTALYA

The number of foreign visitors in the touristic southwestern coastal city of Antalya has reached 15 million in 2024 as of October figures, according to a sector representative.

Hakan Saatçioğlu, president of the Turkish Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD), said at its monthly meeting that the season has been successful for the resort city, as the number of tourists soared 7 percent on an annual basis.

“According to airport statistics in the region, the highest number of visitors came from Russia, at 3.2 million, followed by Germany with 2.7 million, the U.K. with 1.3 million and Poland with 1.1 million,” he said.

Saatçioğlu added that the number of tourists in Antalya could reach the 17 million target by the end of the year.

Tourism makes a significant contribution to the Turkish economy, creating tens of thousands of jobs. It is also one of the country's largest FX-generating industries.

Türkiye aims to host 60 million visitors and generate $60 billion in tourism revenues this year.

According to the latest available official data, the number of foreign tourists visiting the country increased by 10.4 percent in January-August from a year ago to 49.2 million.

The target of drawing 60 million visitors is within reach, but Türkiye may fall short of meeting the $60 billion revenue target, Oya Narin, the president of the Turkish Tourism Investors Association, recently said.

She noted that the tourism industry is likely to show good performance in October and November.