Airports in Istanbul and the Mediterranean hot spot Antalya served a record number of passengers and flights in what industry officials described as one of the most vibrant Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, holidays in the last decade, reflecting the continued momentum of Türkiye’s tourism sector. Renowned for its pristine beaches and historical sites, Antalya has welcomed over 5 million tourists from January through the last day of the holiday that ended on Sunday, according to Kaan Kavaloğlu, president of the Mediterranean Tourism Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB). That marks a 15% increase from a year ago and does not include local tourists who also flocked to the southern province, where hotel occupancy rates reached close to 100% throughout the nine-day break.
The scale of the surge was echoed by Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who said Antalya Airport handled a total of 199,751 passengers and 1,175 aircraft on June 22 alone. Kavaloğlu emphasized that Antalya successfully handled the start of the peak season and that Türkiye is on track to achieve its tourism targets. The Mediterranean province welcomed a record of nearly 15.
7 million tourists throughout 2023, a figure Kavaloğlu said is expected to exceed 17 million this year. “We are confident we can reach 18 million with the help of transit passengers and Turks living in Europe,” he noted. Overall, foreign arrivals in Türkiye hit a record 49.
2 million in 2023, dri.
