Turkish Tourism Sector is About to Break New Records
Turkey Tourism 2023 has opened the season with a target of 60 million tourists and 56 billion dollars in tourism income in Turkey. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's first two-month data for 2023 provide encouraging indications that this goal will be achieved.
According to the data, 3 million 876 thousand 381 foreign tourists visited Turkey in January and February. These results are referred to as the best 2-month data and are expected to gain momentum when the hotels in coastal cities complete their season preparations.
Ülkay Atmaca, President of the Professional Hotel Managers Association of Türkiye (POYD), emphasized that there is a strong expectation that the summer season will be successful this year, saying, "The requests we received during the early booking period were very good, and there is currently an ongoing early booking campaign. It's likely to spread throughout the entire season. Even though it is winter, a lot of visitors from Europe are arriving. People are traveling from Iran to celebrate Nowruz and Russia. There is a significant demand coming from abroad.”
Antalya Expects at Least 16 Million Tourists
The number of tourists in Turkey, Antalya, a popular vacation spot for both domestic and international travelers, is rising rapidly both monthly and annually. According to the Turkey tourism statistics 2023, between January 1 and March 31 of 2022, 515.304 people traveled by plane to Antalya, and during the same time period in 2023, the number increased to 797.920 people. When compared to the same time last year, the tourism season in Antalya got off to the strongest start ever with a growth of 55%.
Rıza Perçin, Chairman of the Mediterranean Region Representative Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), stated that the target for Antalya this year is at least 16 million tourists and that they believe they will achieve this goal based on the data currently available.
Antalya, which attracts great attention, especially from the West, currently receives the most tourists from Russia with 213.101, Germany with 169.228, and England with 88.572.
Norbert Fiebig, the head of the German Travel Association (DRV), said that Türkiye is one of the most popular holiday destinations for German holidaymakers and that the bookings are increasing every week. He added that they estimate breaking the previous record of 5.7 million German visitors this year.
Turkey May Welcome a Record Number of British Tourists This Year
Last week, Dominick Chilcott, British Ambassador to Turkey, gave the message that British tourists could rise to first place this season in the visitor rankings with his tweet: “Not surprised to hear that Turkey has risen to fourth place in the world tourism rankings, according to a report. Turkey is one of the best places to have a summer holiday. We are expecting record numbers of Brits visiting Turkey’s beautiful coasts this year!"
Turkey, which has seen more than 2.5 million British visitors in the previous few years, is one of the first vacation spots that come to mind due to its affordable prices and scenic magnificence. For example, a dinner for two at any seaside restaurant costs roughly £16.02.
3 Direct Flights to Antalya from Newcastle Per Week
SunExpress could not resist the great interest of British holidaymakers. In the first step, SunExpress will organize flights twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays every week. After May, the flights will increase to three with an additional Thursday departure in the summer period. From Newcastle to Antalya, flight time takes about 4 hours and 34 minutes.
Peter Glade, SunExpress commercial director, gave the signals that the flights will continue in the winter period of 2023-24, saying, “With our new route from Newcastle to Antalya and expanded services to operate beyond summer, we continue to increase our footprint further in the UK.”
Tourists are happy for cheap flights to Antalya from Newcastle starting at £78.99 with a 20 kg baggage limit.
What are the Most Popular Destinations in Türkiye?
Turkey is one of the most-visited countries with active both winter and summer tourism for 12 months. In every city, there is scenic beauties, historical monuments, and art collection to be seen. Therefore, Turkey is one of the best places to live and visit at the international level.
On a city basis, coastal cities, such as Antalya, Muğla, and İzmir, are the most visited Turkey tourism cities, especially in summer. They enchant the visitors with blue sea, beach facilities with plenty of social facilities, and lush nature. In addition, they are also highly preferred for offering cheap holiday packages.
Istanbul, our cultural capital, always comes first in Turkey's tourism ranking. If you are undecided about which city to choose, you can find the most suitable route for you in our blog Top 10 Cities in Turkey to Visit.