Türkiye’s major tourist hub, Antalya welcomed over 2 million foreign visitors in the first four months of the year, marking the best start to the year so far, official data showed on Thursday.
The Mediterranean gem, one of the most favored tourist locations globally in the recent period hosted some 2.06 million tourists in January through April, up 14.1% year-over-year, the data from Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed.
The statement noted that the city broke a new record in tourism, with the number of visitors in April only surging by nearly 4.9% on an annual basis to 1.06 million. This figure was recorded as the best April figure so far, according to the ministry.
Leading the list of arrivals in April were tourists arriving from Germany with 259,717. Germans were followed by visitors from Russia, whose count stood at 194,948 and the third spot was reserved for visitors from Britain, with some 141,497.
Similarly, in the first four months, German tourists spearheaded the list of arrivals to Antalya at nearly 540,000. This country was followed by Russia with 366,783 and the United Kingdom with 266,120. Other countries on the list included Poland, the Netherlands, Iran, Belgium, France and Lithuania.
The arrivals from the countries slated as traditionally main markets including Germany rose by 21% when compared to last year, the U.K. by 32% and Poland by 30%, the statement said. The arrivals from Iran on the other hand jumped by 52% versus the same period the year earlier, and those from Ukraine surged by 51% and France by 52%, respectively.
Türkiye welcomed more than 7 million foreign visitors in the first three months of the year, official data showed earlier this week, up by 13.37% compared to the January-March period in 2023.
The government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year before hitting 90 million in 2028. The income is envisaged to rise to $60 billion this year and $100 billion five years from now.
