Antalya welcomes more than 15 million foreign tourists this year

ANTALYA

More than 15 million foreign tourists visited Antalya between Jan. 1 and Oct. 27, according to data from the city’s airports, as the Mediterranean tourism hub continues to attract visitors during the autumn season.

The number of foreign arrivals reached 15.07 million, exceeding five times the city’s population of approximately 2.8 million.

Antalya has also become a major venue for international events. The city hosted the 77th International Astronautical Congress at the beginning of October, attended by more than 18,000 participants from 111 countries, and is preparing to host the COP31 in November.

Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin said that COP31 would be a significant event for November and said the conference venue would continue to operate as a congress and exhibition center in coming years, supporting Antalya’s tourism industry.

Şahin said Antalya recorded 111 million overnight stays and generated about 44 percent of Türkiye’s tourism revenues. He added that the city was moving toward a tourism model that operates year-round through cooperation with neighboring destinations, new tourism products and expanded transportation networks.

Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) Chairman Hakan Saatçioğlu said the city was experiencing a “productive autumn season.” He said reservations for COP31 were continuing and that available space at the conference venue had been fully booked.

Saatçioğlu also said demand from holidaymakers remained strong, with hotels typically recording high occupancy rates in September, October and the first half of November.

He attributed this to discounted prices, favorable weather and warm sea temperatures. He said Antalya was receiving the highest number of guests from Germany and other European countries, with strong bookings also coming from Poland and Belgium.