During January and February 2024, about 4.3 million tourists visited Turkey, led by Iranians, Russians, and Bulgarians.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 4 million 341 thousand 606 foreigners visited Turkey during last January and February.

Iranians came at the top of the list with 473,905 people, followed by Russians with 433,654, and then Bulgarians with 345,301.

Istanbul topped the states through which tourists entered Turkey, followed by Edirne and then Antalya.

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Turkey is preparing to host the World Walking Championships on April 21 in the southern province of Antalya.

According to a statement by the Turkish Athletics Federation on Saturday, Fatih Cintimar, president of the federation, chaired a meeting to prepare for hosting the championship.

Concerned officials participated in the meeting in various fields related to the tournament and discussed the ongoing preparations for its holding.

The tournament will be organized at a track on the Antalya Expo 2016 site.

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On Saturday, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Umuraliyev praised the importance of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum currently being held in southwestern Turkey.

He said in his speech that the meeting of many leaders of countries and governments, ministers and high-level officials in the forum is an important factor on the political and diplomatic levels.

He pointed out that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned several times in his speech at the opening of the forum the Organization of Turkic States.

Omuraliyev added that the forum will also witness the holding of a symposium entitled “Institutionalization in the Turkish World: The Organization of Turkic States in the 21st Century” with the participation of academics from several countries.

The Organization of Turkic States (formerly the Turkic Council) was established on October 3, 2009, and includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

While Hungary, Turkmenistan, and Turkish Northern Cyprus all hold observer member status.

Yesterday, Friday, the Diplomatic Forum began in its third edition in the state of Antalya, in the presence of about 4,500 guests, including 19 heads of state and government, 73 ministers, and 57 international representatives from 147 countries.

Until Sunday, the Antalya Diplomatic Forum will discuss many global issues of concern to the Middle East, the Pacific region, Africa and Latin America, such as climate change, the food crisis, and “space diplomacy,” in addition to the Gaza issue.

On the sidelines of the forum, a high-level session will be held under the patronage of Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan, which will address “Women, Peace and Security.”

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The state of Antalya, the Turkish tourism capital overlooking the Mediterranean, received 15 million 689 thousand 258 foreign tourists during the past year 2023.

Data from the Antalya Culture and Tourism Directorate showed that the latter broke the record, which last reached its peak in 2019.

Russians topped the list of tourists who visited the Turkish state the most, with 3,461,762, an increase of 14.10 percent compared to the previous year.

In second place were German tourists with 3,363,510 tourists, an increase of 14.10 percent compared to 2022.

As for British tourists, their numbers increased by 19 percent to reach 1,318,215 visitors, where they ranked third after the Russians and Germans.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday opened the second runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, located in the Asian side of Istanbul.

Erdogan explained in his speech during the opening ceremony that with the start of operation of the second runway, the airport will have the capacity to host more than 85 million passengers annually.

He added that by the end of this year, the number of airport passengers will reach 37 million, with this number rising to 63 million passengers by 2030.

He pointed out that they aim to open Çukurova Airport next month in the state of Adana in the south of the country, pointing out that the residents of the states of Adana and Mersin are eager for the opening of the project.

Erdogan pointed out that Sabiha Airport hosted nearly 25 million passengers in 2021 through 181,000 flights, adding that the number reached 31 million passengers in 2022.

He stated that Sabiha Airport is the third airport in Turkey with the largest number of flights after Istanbul and Antalya airports.

Erdogan explained that in order to provide maximum air traffic capacity at the airport, the new runway will be used for landing and the old runway for take-off.

He added: “Therefore, with the start of operation of the new runway, the airport will have the capacity to host more than 85 million passengers annually.”

Erdogan stated that the number of active airports in the country increased from 26 to 57 airports, in addition to the expansion of the capacity of passenger lounges from 55 million to 337 million and 450 thousand passengers.

The Turkish President pointed out that the number of foreign destinations increased from 283 to 343 destinations in 130 countries, in addition to the increase in the aircraft fleet from 489 aircraft to 1,813 aircraft during the last twenty years.

The Turkish city of Istanbul includes 3 airports: Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side, and Istanbul and Ataturk International on the European side, and the latter was designated only for flights of cargo aircraft and private and government aircraft after moving to Istanbul Airport in April 2019.

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Official data showed that 15 million 371 thousand and 773 tourists visited the state of Antalya in southern Turkey during the past 11 months.

According to data issued by the Directorate of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday, the state recorded a record number of tourists it hosted.

Russian citizens ranked first among the foreign tourists who visited Antalya the most in the aforementioned period, with 3 million 401 thousand and 704 tourists.

According to the data, the Germans came in second place with 3,285,822 tourists, followed by the British in third place with 1,188,263 tourists.

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Tourists from all over the world come to the state of Konya in central Turkey as an important stop on the cultural tourism map, and it also attracts visitors with its caves of stunning beauty.

Among these caves is the “Tinaztepe” cave, described as a “natural wonder” on the highway between Konya and Antalya. It is 22 kilometers long and was discovered by a French scientist in 1968.

Director General of the company operating the cave, Biram Chelmli, said that the site began receiving visitors in 2004.

He explained that what distinguishes this cave from others is that “it contains a river and lakes and waterfalls form inside it, especially in the spring with rainwater and melting snow.”

He explained that the cave is estimated to be 230 million years old and is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists annually.

The Çamlık Caves area in the Dere Büçak district of Konya Province is also one of the favorite destinations for cave enthusiasts.

Palatini Cave is the largest in this region and can be walked around from beginning to end and contains archaeological remains.

The head of the Beyşehir Culture and Tourism Association, Mustafa Buyuk Cavalli, said that the Çamlık caves area includes about 20 caves of different sizes.

He stated that the Palatini Cave includes a 2 km long walking path that would appeal to cave lovers.

He pointed out that the cave contains archaeological remains dating back to the Byzantine and Roman eras, and the stalagmites and stalagmites in it are impressive.

“Solu In” Cave, located in the same area, 500 meters from the town of Çamlik, is also one of the beautiful caves in the state.

It can only be entered by boat because there is water inside it, as it includes waterfalls and a large lake.

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Russian citizens topped the list of foreign nationalities purchasing real estate in Turkey last October.

According to data from the Turkish Statistics Authority, 2,535 homes were sold to foreigners last October.

The share of housing sales to foreigners during October amounted to 2.7 percent of total sales.

Antalya topped the list among Turkish states in the number of homes sold to foreigners, with 931 homes, followed by Istanbul with 758, then Mersin with 294.

In the ranking of foreign nationalities buying the most homes in Turkey, Russians topped the list with 713 homes, followed by Iranians with 235, then Germans with 152.

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Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that the state of Antalya has received more than 15 million tourists since the beginning of this year.

This came in statements he made on Sunday on the sidelines of a cultural event in Antalya, the Turkish tourism capital.

He added that Turkey’s tourism revenues amounted to $42 billion during the first 9 months of this year.

He explained that they aim to raise this number to $55.6 billion by the end of this year.

As for Antalya, the Turkish Minister stated that it alone received more than 15 million tourists during the first 10 months of this year.

He pointed out that the tourism sector in Antalya has exceeded the numbers it achieved in 2019, that is, before the Corona epidemic, whether with regard to the number of tourists or tourism revenues in general.

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Two cruise ships docked in the port of Antalya, southwestern Turkey, with 555 tourists on board.

The “Seven Seas Navigator” ship, which flies the Bahamas flag and is 172 meters long, carrying 404 passengers and a crew of 360 people, docked in the port of Antalya on Saturday.

He added that the ship “La Jacques Cartier”, which flies the French flag and is 131 meters long, carrying 151 passengers and a crew of 119 people, also docked in the port of Antalya.

After entry procedures, tourists headed to the city’s markets and historical landmarks in the region.

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