Antalya welcomes over 4 million tourists

The number tourists arriving in Antalya, one of Turkey's hottest holiday destinations on the Mediterranean coast, has exceeded 4.3 million since the start of the year.

The coronavirus pandemic dealt a blow to tourism activity in the province last year. However, this year, hotels and other accommodation venues in Antalya took necessary measures under the Safe Tourism Certificate Program to ensure holidaymakers enjoy a safe stay during their stay.

Data from the local tourism authority showed that a total of 4.35 million tourists flew into the province between Jan. 1 and Aug. 15, despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak globally. This marked a significant 203 percent increase in the same period of 2020.

Russians topped the list of visiting tourists. According to data, some 2 million Russian holidaymakers traveled to Antalya during this period.

In mid-April, Russians suspended regular and charter flights with Turkey due to COVID-19 concerns. After a two-month break, Russian tourists started coming to Turkey again on June 22.

From Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, more than 957,000 tourists arrived in Antalya, according to the local tourism authority, a staggering 203 percent increase from a year ago.

During the first 15 days of August, airplanes on average brought in some 64,000 tourists to Antalya.

Throughout 2020, Antalya welcomed nearly 3.3 million foreign tourists, which accounted for around 26 percent of all foreign arrivals in Turkey. In 2019, however, the number of foreign tourists vacationing in the province stood at 14.6 million.

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