Antalya, one of the cities where the heart of the tourism sector beats, hosted the Traditional May Meeting of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB). The meeting, which was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, discussed the achievements of Turkish tourism in 2024 and Ambitious targets for 2025 Minister Ersoy emphasized that Antalya is one of the most important tourism destinations not only in Türkiye but also in the world, and drew attention to the promotional strategies and strong collaborations behind this success.
A Period Full of Records: 2024 and Beyond
According to Minister Ersoy's statements, The year 2024 was a period in which historical records were broken for Turkish tourism.. The year ended with 62,3 million visitors and 61,1 billion dollars in revenue. Especially when the period 2017-2024 is examined, the number of visitors percent 64, in income a significant increase of 95,5 percent The upward trend in per capita nightly spending continues; this figure, which was $2017 in 75, will increase to $2024 in 106, and the target for 2025 is 116 dollars The general revenue target set for 2025 is 64 billion dollars.
The Power Behind Success: Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA)
The role played by the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) is of great importance in Antalya's striking success in tourism. Minister Ersoy underlined the effective promotional strategies carried out by the TGA. While 2024 people from 46 countries were hosted in 32 events held in Antalya in 697, this number is expected to exceed 2025 in the first four months of XNUMX. 1.288 person It was stated that it came out. Especially “Get Lost with Wizz Air” campaign launched in collaboration with Wizz Air, Reaching 138 million views, it became one of the most successful promotional activities.
Summit in Digital Promotion and Emphasis on Sustainability
GoTürkiye platform is breaking records in digital promotion. In 2024, over 901 million digital impressions were achieved, and in the first quarter of 2025, over 176 million. Reaching millions of people through social media channels, GoTürkiye has reached 4.5 million on TikTok, YouTubeReaching 5.16 million followers on Instagram and 3.8 million followers on most followed country promotion account in the world Special projects such as “Sight & Sound Sessions”, Turkish Riviera themed films and international productions also made great contributions to the promotion of Antalya.
Minister Ersoy, drawing attention to the importance of the sustainable tourism vision, said that tourism enterprises in Antalya More than 81 percent have sustainability certificates He stated that 82 percent of the facilities in Antalya have the certificate within the scope of the Sustainable Tourism Program carried out in cooperation with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), making Türkiye an exemplary country at the international level.
Diversity in Tourism and Protection of Cultural Heritage
Ersoy emphasized that Antalya is not only a sea, sand and sun destination, sports, nature, gastronomy and cultural tourism He stated that it has great potential in terms of tourism. Activities such as Tour of Antalya, Runtalya, Golf tournaments and diving tourism support this diversity. A total of 28 bicycle-friendly accommodation facilities are providing service throughout Turkey, 58 of which are in Antalya.
Conducted for the protection of cultural heritage “Legacy for the Future” project Excavation and restoration work that lasted 12 months continues and in 2024, 1.149 works were returned He stated that they aim to bring touristic activity to city centers with night museum applications and that within this scope, historical sites such as Alanya, Aspendos, Side and Patara are opened to visitors at night.
Cities are Branding with Culture Road Festivals
The Turkish Culture Road Festival will be held in 20 cities this year and its final It will be held in Antalya on November 10th Minister Ersoy stated that this festival plays a key role in branding cities. Concluding his speech with the words, “I believe that in return for all this effort, 2025 will be a year in which we will break new records in tourism,” Minister Ersoy thanked all stakeholders for sharing the vision carried out to make Türkiye a global brand in tourism.
