Alanya and Antalya's tourism goal for this year is 20 million tourists
In 2024, Antalya set a historic record in tourism by welcoming 17 million 278 thousand 103 tourists. Kerim Yılmaz, Vice President of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) and member of the Executive Board of Alanya City Council, stated, based on the data from the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, that this number is the highest visitor count ever recorded.
Yılmaz emphasized that Antalya and Alanya have become globally recognized brand cities and highlighted the contribution of tourism to the country’s economy. He also mentioned that TÜRSAB is working to advance tourism further through collaboration between the public and private sectors.
TARGET: 20 MILLION TOURISTS
Yılmaz expressed satisfaction with the figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and stated that they aim to achieve new records in 2025. He reminded that the spending per person has risen to 107 dollars and said they expect this figure to increase further. Yılmaz pointed out that Antalya has become a tourist destination attracting visitors from all over the world, and the city’s guests leave satisfied.
FOCUS ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET
Yılmaz noted that the tourism sector has been experiencing a growth phase following the global pandemic and announced that this year they will focus on the European market. He mentioned that sales for the region have increased compared to last year in discussions with tour operators. Yılmaz reminded that Russia is Antalya's largest market but expressed doubts about growth in this market due to the ongoing war. He stressed the importance of strengthening alternative markets to achieve new records.
EXPECTATIONS OF GROWTH IN THE GERMANY, UK, AND FRANCE MARKETS
Yılmaz stated that they are expecting significant growth in the German and UK markets. He also mentioned that Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, and Romania are among the strong markets. He pointed out that Turkey has not been able to attract enough tourists from France, the world's fifth-largest source market, and expressed confidence that with the efforts of the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and the Alanya Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), this situation will change. He believes these efforts will help reach the goal of 20 million tourists for Antalya.
THE IMPACT OF THE TRANSFORMATION IN MAHMUTLAR
Yılmaz mentioned that positive feedback had been received from tour operators at the ongoing tourism fair in Berlin. He highlighted that in areas like Mahmutlar in the eastern part of Alanya, where hotels are being demolished and converted into apartments, this could lead to a reduction in the accommodation capacity. He stated that this would affect the tourism dynamics in the region.
To ensure that Antalya reaches bigger goals in 2025, it was emphasized that industry representatives and local authorities must continue to work in coordination.
