The number of tourists arriving by air in Türkiye’s Mediterranean tourism gem jumped by almost a third in the first half of this year, according to official data, reaffirming expectations in the crucial industry for a buoyant summer season.
More than 5.52 million tourists landed in the southern resort city of Antalya from January through the end of June, data compiled by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism showed, marking a 29% increase in arrivals compared to a year ago.
This year’s momentum has been driven by an influx of tourists from Europe, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom, besides arrivals from Russia, partly due to flight restrictions imposed by Western nations over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy last week said Antalya is going through a record season, affirmed by the fact that its airports have seen the daily arrival of around 100,000 foreign tourists.
Arrivals from the top tourist source Russia reached nearly 1.31 million in the first six months, the data showed, a 25.2% increase compared to the same period a year ago.
Germany followed with almost 1.2 million tourists, marking a nearly 22.3% year-over-year jump, with the U.K. sitting third with 520,569 visitors. The top 10 countries also included Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania, Lithuania, Israel and Ukraine.
In June alone, the number of tourists arriving by air in Antalya rose to more than 2.14 million, compared to nearly 1.87 million in the same month of 2023.
Meanwhile, the official data showed Türkiye welcomed 4.5 million foreign visitors in May, marking a 16.2% year-over-year surge, signaling a continued momentum within the critical industry that serves as a vital source of income for the economy.
In January-May, foreign arrivals jumped by 23.7% year-over-year, surpassing the 14 million mark, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Tourism revenue is critical as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government focus on reducing the current account deficit to tackle stubborn inflation.
Last year’s complete rebound from the pandemic fallout saw the number of tourists near a record, generating all-time high revenues and prompting the government to raise its annual estimates.
The government sees foreign arrivals reaching 60 million in 2023, which it estimates will hit 90 million in 2028. For the income, it sees it rising to $56 billion this year and $100 billion five years from now.
Foreign visitors surged 80.33% to 44.6 million in 2022, just shy of the peak of 45.1 million in 2019. The figure is compared to the 24.71 million arrivals in 2021 and 12.73 million in 2020.
Revenues climbed 53.4% to a record high of nearly $46.3 billion as lingering pandemic effects dissipated and Russian arrivals rocketed after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Last year’s income blew past the previous high of $38.4 billion in 2019 before the pandemic hit. The figure stood at $30.2 billion in 2021 after the outbreak more than halved it to just $14.8 billion in 2020.
Tourism contributes about 10% to Türkiye’s gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, around 1.7 million people worked in accommodation and food services in 2022 – about 5% of total employment.
