The number of tourists that have visited the southern province of Antalya, the tourism capital of Turkey, has surpassed the 2 million mark, Anadolu Agency (AA) said in a report Wednesday.
Turkey’s Safe Tourism Certification Program has helped the province keep its tourism sector alive throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Russians took first place in countries that have sent the most tourists to the province, followed by Ukraine and Germany.
'Our occupancy rates are between 50% to 70%'
Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers Association (AKTOB) Deputy Chief Kaan Kavaloğlu told AA that they would try their best to keep hotels open during the pandemic.
“It is not easy to adapt to the situation during the pandemic, both from the perspective of an executive and an employee. Our occupancy rates are between 50% to 70%. The rate was 70% in August, it is 55% now in September and will be 40% in November,” he said.
Kavaloğlu also said they have published an additional manifesto for the safe tourism program to enable a safe tourism experience even during the pandemic, which led to customer satisfaction and a consequent word-of-mouth marketing effect to ripple across their home countries upon return.
“I believe we will surpass 3.2 million by the year-end. Most of our visitors are from Russia, Ukraine, the U.K. and Germany. There were many Britons in August, and we now have many German tourists in September,” he added.
'Turkey is a beloved destination'
Cem Kınay, a member of Turkey's Tourism and Development Agency Board, also emphasized the continued success of the country in keeping tourism alive even during the pandemic era.
“Turkey is a beloved destination in all markets. Turkey has been one of the few countries that have enabled safe tourism despite the coronavirus pandemic. Safe tourism will continue to ramp up this traffic in the industry,” he said.
