Faruk Dengiz

The picturesque coastal town of Bodrum in the Aegean region is gearing up to welcome a significant influx of tourists in 2024, with the Bodrum Hoteliers Association (BODER) aiming to attract over 100,000 visitors via cruise ships and more than 1 million through air travel.

A record 15.7 million tourists arrived in Antalya by air last year, with Russians constituting the largest group of foreign holidaymakers.

The previous record in tourist arrivals was in 2019 at 15.3 million, while in 2022, 13.5 million foreigners visited Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast.

Some 1 million foreign tourists are expected to visit the popular resort town of Bodrum in the western province of Muğla, according to Ömer Faruk Dengiz, the head of the local hoteliers' association (BODER).

Since the start of the year, 500,000 foreign holidaymakers have arrived in the town by plane, and this figure will further rise to 800,000 by the end of 2022, Dengiz said.