Botanic EXPO 2016 will be inaugurated in Antalya on April 23, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attending, and is already drawing interest from around the world. With attendees from 41 countries, this EXPO will be the biggest. The EXPO will be open for six months and has given hope to the tourism sector in Antalya.
Agriculture Minister Faruk Çelik arrived in Antalya to examine the works for EXPO 2016. Çelik said that they have received positive responses from 52 countries and participation contracts have been signed by 41 countries. "The highest participation was for the EXPO held in Haarlemmermeer city in the Netherlands in 2002 with 37 countries attending, however, we have reached 41 participant countries at the moment and we believe a few more countries will be added to the list," said Çelik.
In total, 8 million visitors, 5 million of which will be foreigners, are expected to visit EXPO and tourism operators in Antalya hope to benefit from such a high number of visitors. A large congress center with a capacity for 6,500 people has been constructed in the EXPO area, which will support the congress tourism in Antalya.
Along with the EXPO, various investments have been undertaken in Antalya. Rehabilitation works have taken place to prevent over-flooding of the area and 14-kilometer-long sewerage and collection lines have been paved for the district of Aksu. A 10.5 kilometer road has been constructed to connect the EXPO area to hotels in Kundu, and a 19-kilometer railroad track has been laid between the city center and the EXPO area by the Ministry of Transportation.
Çelik noted that $1.7 billion has been invested for the EXPO area; 25,000 trees have been planted on 112 hectares; indoor and outdoor gardens have been landscaped; a 100-meter-high EXPO Tower has been constructed; an Agriculture and Biodiversity Museum, a first in Turkey, has been established; theme parks plus a street full of restaurants representing the architecture of the seven regions of Turkey have been built. The theme of the EXPO is "Flowers and Children," and there will be a Children's Island, which will host the Children's Science and Technology Center along with various workshops.
