Antalya: Turkey's Mediterranean jewel beckons to all

By Levent Kisi

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - Turkey’s southern resort city and tourist hotspot of Antalya hosts many renowned celebrities every year.

Dotted with nearby ancient ruins, Antalya is known as the capital of tourism for its natural beauty, historical structures, luxurious hotels and myriad international organizations.

In an online survey, Antalya once again left behind Ibiza, Spain's famous holiday center as the holiday destination most shared on social media, with 20 million shares.

Antalya welcomed eight million tourists in 2019 by the end of July, and is expected to reach a new record of 16 million tourists by the end of the year.

World-renowned singer Jennifer Lopez chose Antalya for a performance widely reported in international media, attracting even more eyes on the Mediterranean city.

- Antalya's celebrity guests

World-famous pop star Jennifer Lopez was on stage in Antalya on Tuesday night, enrapturing her audience as she hit the stage of a five-star hotel in Serik as part of the world tour -- "It’s My Party" -- across 25 cities.

"Just a cheek," Lopez said in a social media post, adding: "Beautiful show last night in Turkey."

She performed for two hours to the delight of the 2,500 audience, including celebrities, famous footballers and managers.

World-famous actor Jean-Claude Van Damme also recently came to the city to meet fans.

Antalya is also the first city to host the international horticulture exposition, EXPO 2016, welcoming famous artists and groups.

Thousands of people, including tourists attended the concerts of Elton John, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Deep Purple, Status Quo, Maroon 5, Simply Red and Level 42.

Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o, once a football player at Antalyaspor, held a gala organization for the 10th anniversary of his foundation. Among the attendees were Eden Hazard, Deco, Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Michael Essien, David James, Jay Jay Okocha, Stephen Appiah, Kanu, Kolo Toure, Desailly and Italian technical director Fabio Capello.

At a fashion week organized in Antalya, well-known celebrities like Paris Hilton and top models like Bar Rafaeli, Isabeli Fontana, Ana Beatriz Barros, Izabel Goulart, Valeria Lukyanova and Kendall Jenner moved down the catwalk, sharing the experience with their millions of social media followers.

- Movies stars and directors at international festival

The International Antalya Film Festival -- one of the most established in Turkey -- also welcomed many stars and directors.

For the last three years, walking on the red carpet at the festival were Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi and artists Rutger Hauer, Vincent Cassel, Matt Dillon, Lindsay Lohan, Christopher Walken, Juliette Lewis, John Savage, Robert Davi, Andie MacDowell and Kristanna Loken.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur