The number of Russian tourists in Antalya, which stood at 25,000 in the first 6 months of 2016, rose to 1.1 million in the same period of 2017. While 7,618 Russian tourists arrived in the city in June last year, this figure rose to 584,000 in the same month this year.
2017 tourism figures for Antalya, which experienced the worst period in its history in 2016 in terms of tourism, are approaching 2015 figures this year. According to Antalya Airport data, as of June 30, the number of tourists arriving in Antalya reached 2.8 million. While Russians, who accounted for 1.1 million of this figure, ranked first, in the first 6 months, the number of Russian tourists to Antalya trailed the same period in 2015.
From Jan. 1 to June 30, 1.9 million tourists arrived at Antalya Airport in 2016, while this figure reached 2.8 million in the same period this year, an increase of 45.1 percent. Compared to 2015, which is taken as basis by the sector, on the other hand, there was a 12 percent decrease in the same period. With these figures, Antalya is getting very close to the 2015 figures, which is considered as one of the best years in tourism.
Having attracted very few Russian tourists because of the bans imposed by Russia in 2016 in the aftermath of the jet-downing crisis, Antalya is experiencing an influx of tourists this year. The number of tourists arriving in Antalya from Jan. 1 to June 30 from Russia, in which tour operators are having a hard time finding aircraft for charter flights, reached 1.1 million. Only 25,000 tourists came in the same period of 2016 and 868,000 in 2015. The Russian market left behind 2015 figures with a 21 percent increase as well.
As many as 645,000 tourists arrived from Germany, one of the two most important markets for Antalya, from Jan. 1 to June 30. The German market was down 24 percent compared to 2016 and 46 percent compared to 2015. 58,000 tourists came from the Netherlands, a 40 percent decrease, followed by Sweden with 22,600 tourists, a decrease of 56 percent, and Norway with 17,000 tourists, a 53 percent decline. The number of Iranian tourists, on the other hand, experienced a 12 percent decline compared to the previous year, at 42,000.
This year, in addition to Russia, the number of tourists from Ukraine and Israel has also increased significantly. The number of tourists from Ukraine, which was 153,000 in the six-month period last year, rose by 52 percent this year to 234,000, while the number of Israeli tourists surged from 47,000 to 75,000, an increase of 56 percent compared to the previous year. Tourists from Kazakhstan climbed more than 100 percent to 48,000. The number of Polish tourists rose from 22,000 to 37,000, an increase of 61 percent, while 52,000 tourists came from Cyprus, a rise of 27 percent. The number of tourist from Belarus, on the other hand, surged by 76 percent, rising from 9,000 to 16,500, followed by Lithuania with 30,000 tourists, an increase of 17 percent.
Over 1.2 million tourists arrived in Antalya in June. While the rate of increase exceeded 100 percent compared to June 2016, it dropped by 14 percent in comparison to 2015 figures. The number of Russian tourists reached 550,000 in June, exceeding the same period of 2015. This figure was 7,618 in June last year and 470,000 in June 2015.
