Mediterranean Region, Turkey

In the first 11 months of 2024, foreign tourist arrivals in the Mediterranean province of Antalya hit 16.6 million, which marked an all-time high figure for the popular holiday destination.

The "Flying Fox," acclaimed as the world's 14th largest yacht, which had anchored at the port of Fethiye in the Aegean province of Muğla, is getting ready to set sail today, leaving behind an estimated expenditure of 18 million Turkish Liras ($585,922).

Marmaris Nature Volunteers, who came together after the large-scale wildfires in Antalya and Muğla provinces two years ago, have so far planted 20,600 saplings and more than 40,000 seeds in the burnt areas while also organizing regular garbage collection events around the region.

Visitors diving at the area a sunken French warship, "Paris 2," located off the southern province of Antalya are causing damage by taking pieces from the ship as souvenirs.

More than 4 million foreign tourists arrived in Antalya by air between Jan. 1 and June 10, pointing to a 37 percent increase from the same period of 2022.

A retired British soldier has been deeply moved by the compassionate gesture of children who bid him farewell with flowers and gifts as he was preparing to leave following the completion of his duty as a kitchen manager at a tent city in the quake-hit province of Hatay.

The construction of the lighthouse, which was built by the Roman Emperor Nero and was destroyed in a tsunami in 1481, continues in the ancient city of Patara in the southern province of Antalya.

Parking caravans on roads in the southern province of Antalya, which has been dealing with this problem for quite some time as caravans lining the beach and occupying the streets both project an ugly sight and cause traffic problems, will no longer be allowed, the municipality's transportation center has said.

The ship "MSC Aurelia," where the earthquake survivors were settled in Iskenderun district of Hatay, has completed its mission, as a plaque of appreciation was given to Dumitru Rusu, the captain of the 906-bed Ro-Ro ship that left the port.

Just days before the elections in Turkey, the most affected earthquake regions expect a reversed migration wave before May 14. The weak performance of the state after the earthquake could also alter the political arithmetics in the affected provinces.