Antalya expects to draw more British, Polish visitors this year

ANTALYA

Early bookings are showing strong demand from British and Polish holidaymakers for the major Turkish tourist hotspot Antalya, according to the representatives of hoteliers in the Mediterranean resort.

Antalya hosted around 17.3 million foreign tourists last year, an 8 percent increase compared to 2023.

Out of this number, 1.57 million were British and 1.26 million were Polish tourists, showed data from the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.

British and Polish constituted the third and fourth largest group of foreign tourists visiting the city.

Noting that Antalya saw a record number of visitors in 2024, hoteliers are hopeful about tourist arrivals this year, said Hakan Saatçioğlu, the president of the Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD).

“There is an increase between 8 to 12 percent in reservations compared to last year. Most of these bookings are coming from Europe, particularly from the U.K. and Poland,” he said, adding that more British and Polish holidaymakers are expected to arrive in the city this year as well.

Saatçioğlu reminded that last year they hosted the most guests from Russia, with approximately 4 million Russian tourists visiting Antalya.

The local tourism industry in Antalya, meanwhile, is closely watching diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as the end to the conflict will be a boon to the city.

Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians relocated to Antalya after the war broke out three years ago.

But, since the start of the war, tourist arrivals from Russia and Ukraine declined, said representatives of the industry, adding that if the conflict ends, visits from those countries may start to recover this year partially.

Yet, the real impact of the peace will probably seen in the 2026-27 season, they noted.

The total loss, in terms of visits from both countries after the war started reached 3 million, Erkan Yağcı, president of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED), said recently.

However, hoteliers and the representatives of the local tourism industry are hopeful that if the conflict ends, tourist arrivals from Russia and Ukraine will pick up.

Even the prospect of peace already has positive repercussions for the tourism sector, according to Kaan Kavaloğlu, president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Investors Association (AKTOB).

Last year 6.7 million Russians visited Türkiye, accounting for 12.7 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals. The country also welcomed more than 940,000 Ukrainians in 2024, up 12 percent from the previous year.