Antalya, southern Türkiye's tourism gem, which broke a record for foreign tourist numbers last year, is expected to surpass last year’s figures in 2025.
Tourism representatives and officials both signal that the city is on the right path toward new highs.
With an ongoing momentum, Antalya reached an all-time high for October last month, welcoming over 2.2 million foreign tourists. This represents an 8% increase compared to the same month of the previous year.
During the first 10 months of the year, figures also exceeded those of the same period last year. The number of foreign tourists visiting the city in this period rose by 176,884 compared to last year, reaching 16.3 million, a report by Anadolu Agency (AA) said on Sunday.
During this period, Antalya hosted the most visitors from Russia, nearly 3.9 million. Germany followed with 3.34 million tourists, and the U.K. with 1.47 million.
The top 10 also included Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, Czechia and Lithuania.
Having ended last year with 17.2 million, Antalya is expected to top this figure this year and set a new record.
Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin said that Antalya hosts two to three times the population of many countries in foreign tourists.
Şahin noted that the city has achieved the targeted numbers for foreign tourists, and daily per-person spending has risen from around $70 to over $100.
He added that while these figures are good, there is potential to increase them further.
"We have the necessary potential for this. What can we do? First, make tourists happy so they will return next year," he told AA.
"Second, there will be so many events and attractions that they will say, '7 days is not enough, I’ll stay another day or two.' That will increase the length of stay," he added.
For this, he highlighted the importance of strong gastronomy and activities.
"We say, 'the season ends in November,' but November and December are also beautiful months here. March and April are wonderful as well," he explained.
"If we include these months in tourism, especially cultural tourism, this period becomes ideal, with a climate suitable for exploring everywhere. We need to work on this."
Şahin also emphasized that they are focusing on sports events to promote winter tourism.
He highlighted that Belek Tourism Center is particularly well-positioned for camping and golf, and investments in nature tourism are being made in the Kemer district.
Şahin underlined that all sectors of society have embraced tourism in Antalya, which contributes to its success. Pointing to tourism figures as evidence, he noted: "We have reached last year’s numbers and even slightly exceeded them. By the start of the new year, we will complete the year above last year’s level."
