Turkey's Antalya sets all-time tourist record

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - For the first time ever, Turkey’s southern resort city of Antalya is expected to host 16 million tourists by the end of this year, the head of a hotel association said.

So far this year, 14 million tourists have visited the holiday destination known for its pristine Mediterranean beaches, said Osman Ayik of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation.

This figure increases every month making those employed in the tourism sector hopeful of the future. Tourists from 193 countries visited the city.

"There was an increase in the number of tourists compared to last year, especially in October, a 20% rise was recorded," Ayik said, adding that the same trend will continue and the tourism sector will move forward with strong and confident steps.

He added quality services provided to customers aided in achieving this target.

Erkan Yagci, head of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers Association, also noted that one out of every three tourists to Turkey prefers Antalya.

"We concentrated on the new term strategy for 2020 and as long as we develop new strategies, we will continue to break records," he said.

* Writing by Aysu Bicer