Antalya Mayor Menderes Türel told local journalists that the resort city is entering a "golden age" in tourism, reports Milliyet.
According to the mayor, the city can currently accommodate more than 2.5 million tourists at a time. This year, Antalya, One of the world's most important tourist centres is preparing for a new all-time record of 14 million foreign tourists.
"In 2001, when I was the chairman of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we expected that 7-8 million tourists would start visiting the city, but this was more of a wish. And today, some people do not believe it, but in a few years, Antalya will already be hosting 20 million tourists a year," the mayor added.
He also clarified that the record figures are largely due to the increase in tourist flows from Russia and Germany.
Stating that Antalya has a strong infrastructure in terms of tourism, Menderes Türel also stressed that the population does not feel the intensity of the industry's development, and local residents are not bothered by visitors at all, as is the case in some popular European cities.
“The current infrastructure can meet the target of 20 million tourists per year,” he explained.
Source: trn-news.ru