Ankara: Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya has hosted more than six million foreign tourists so far this year, according to a local media report.
The number of tourists climbed by 202 per cent between January 1 and September 13, compared to the same period of the previous year, Xinhua news agency quoted the Hurriyet Daily report as saying on Wednesday.
The Antalya Governor’s office also revealed the data for the first 13 days of September, saying that the province hosted 757,461 tourists, seeing a 70 per cent year-on-year hike.
Popular with its sandy and sunny beaches, Antalya hosted approximately 3.5 million tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, Antalya is a major tourist destination in the country.
It attracts 30 per cent of foreign tourists visiting Turkey.
Its capital city of the same name was the world’s third most visited city by number of international arrivals in 2011, displacing New York.
Antalya is Turkey’s biggest international sea resort.
The province features a 657 km shoreline dotted with beaches, ports, and ancient cities scattered throughout, including the World Heritage Site Xanthos.