Russia Leads Ukraine and Other Countries as Antalya Tourism in Türkiye Nears 12.5 Million Foreign Arrivals

One of the favorite holiday destinations in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye is Antalya, which attracted almost 12.5 million foreign visitors over the first nine months of the year. This shows that the appeal of this place with its beaches and luxurious resorts and rich culture has not been affected much even by the slight fall in the number of foreigners arriving here. The increase in Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Uzbek visitors contributed to this success.

The Turkish Mediterranean coast remains a powerful attraction for international holidaymakers. With its long stretches of sandy beaches, warm climate, historic landmarks and extensive collection of seaside resorts, Antalya continues to occupy an important position in the country’s tourism economy. However, the latest visitor figures reveal a changing pattern of international travel demand, with some established markets losing momentum while emerging destinations of origin deliver encouraging growth.

Between January and September, Antalya recorded approximately 12.48 million international visitors, representing a 5.6% decline compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. The reduction amounted to 752,605 fewer foreign arrivals, highlighting the challenges facing one of Türkiye’s most important tourism regions.

Despite this decrease, the destination maintained substantial visitor volumes throughout the peak summer season. When domestic travellers were included, Antalya’s total tourist arrivals reached approximately 13.33 million during the nine-month period.

The figures underline the destination’s continued importance within Mediterranean tourism while also revealing differences in travel behaviour across its leading international source markets.

Antalya Maintains Its Position as a Major Mediterranean Tourism Destination

Antalya has developed into one of the Mediterranean’s most recognisable holiday destinations, attracting visitors through its combination of coastal scenery, resort accommodation and cultural experiences.

Its tourism landscape extends well beyond the city centre. Popular coastal areas such as Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer and Lara attract holidaymakers seeking everything from family-friendly beach resorts to luxury accommodation and outdoor activities.

This diverse tourism offering has helped the region maintain a strong international presence even as visitor demand fluctuates.

During the first nine months of the year, nearly 12.5 million international arrivals demonstrated the scale of Antalya’s tourism industry. Nevertheless, the annual decline suggests that the destination is experiencing uneven performance across its principal markets.

The changing visitor mix is particularly important for hotels, restaurants, tour operators and other tourism businesses that depend heavily on international holiday spending.

Although overall arrivals remain substantial, the figures show that Antalya’s tourism industry cannot rely entirely on the continued expansion of its traditional European visitor markets.

September Tourism Reaches More Than Two Million International Arrivals

September remained an important month for Antalya’s tourism industry, with international visitors continuing to arrive after the busiest weeks of summer.

The destination welcomed approximately 2.19 million foreign tourists during September, although this represented a 3.5% decline compared with the same month of the previous year.

Including domestic tourism, total arrivals for the month reached around 2.3 million.

The September results demonstrate the strength of Antalya’s late-summer tourism season. The region’s warm autumn temperatures, Mediterranean beaches and extensive resort facilities continue to make it attractive to travellers seeking holidays outside the busiest summer period.

September is especially important for accommodation providers because it allows tourism activity to continue beyond the traditional July and August peak.

Although arrivals were lower than a year earlier, the considerable number of visitors indicates that Antalya continues to attract international demand as the summer season transitions towards autumn.

The smaller annual decline in September also suggests that the pace of the overall downturn was easing towards the end of the nine-month reporting period.

Russia Strengthens Its Leadership as Antalya’s Largest International Tourism Market

Russia continued to dominate Antalya’s international tourism landscape, reinforcing its position as the destination’s most important source of foreign visitors.

During the first nine months of the year, approximately 3.3 million Russian tourists visited Antalya, accounting for around 26.6% of all international arrivals.

This represented a modest increase of 19,876 visitors, equivalent to growth of 0.6% compared with the previous year.

Although the numerical increase was relatively small, Russia’s share of Antalya’s international tourism market increased from 24.9% to 26.6%.

This development is significant because it shows that Russian visitors represented a larger proportion of total foreign arrivals even while overall international tourism declined.

The Russian market also delivered positive results in September.

During that month, Antalya welcomed 659,516 visitors from Russia, marking a 2.6% increase compared with September of the previous year.

Russian travellers accounted for approximately 30% of all foreign tourist arrivals during the month, highlighting the market’s influence on Antalya’s tourism performance.

The destination’s extensive all-inclusive resort offering, coastal holiday experiences and established popularity among Russian travellers continue to make it a major Mediterranean destination for this market.

Germany Records a Decline Despite Remaining a Major Tourism Contributor

Germany remained one of Antalya’s most important international tourism markets, although visitor numbers weakened during the reporting period.

Approximately 2.53 million German tourists travelled to Antalya between January and September, representing a decline of 6.2% compared with the previous year.

Germany maintained its position among the destination’s leading source markets, but the fall in arrivals contributed significantly to Antalya’s overall reduction in international visitors.

September also brought a decrease in German tourism demand.

Arrivals from Germany declined by 9.7% compared with the corresponding month of the previous year, indicating that the weakness extended into the late-summer travel period.

The figures are particularly important for Antalya because German travellers have traditionally been a substantial customer base for the region’s beachfront hotels, package holidays and established resort communities.

A sustained reduction in German arrivals could influence accommodation demand and tourism business performance, particularly among operators that serve European holidaymakers.

Nevertheless, Germany’s substantial visitor volume confirms that it remains a central market for Antalya’s international tourism industry.

United Kingdom Tourism Weakens as British Visitor Numbers Fall Sharply

The United Kingdom recorded one of the largest declines among Antalya’s principal international tourism markets.

During the first nine months of the year, arrivals from the UK fell by 11.9%, bringing the total number of British visitors to approximately 1.14 million.

The decrease was notably sharper than the overall 5.6% decline in international arrivals.

September continued this downward trend, with British visitor numbers falling by 13.1% compared with the same month in the previous year.

These figures indicate that Antalya experienced weaker demand from British holidaymakers across both the wider nine-month period and the final month covered by the report.

The UK remains an important market for Türkiye’s Mediterranean tourism industry, particularly for family holidays, all-inclusive accommodation and longer summer stays.

However, the latest figures suggest that Antalya’s traditional position among leading Mediterranean holiday destinations has not prevented a substantial year-on-year reduction in visitors from Britain.

The decline also illustrates the different levels of demand across Antalya’s three historically dominant markets: Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom.

While Russian arrivals increased slightly, both Germany and the UK recorded notable decreases.

Ukraine Emerges as a Growing Tourism Market for Antalya

Ukraine delivered positive tourism growth, providing a welcome contrast to declining arrivals from several established European markets.

During the January-to-September period, Antalya received 385,317 visitors from Ukraine, compared with 364,124 during the corresponding period of the previous year.

This represented an increase of approximately 5.8%, placing Ukraine fifth among Antalya’s largest international source markets.

September produced even stronger growth.

The number of Ukrainian visitors increased from 67,664 to 75,797, representing a rise of approximately 12%.

The increase demonstrates Antalya’s continued attraction among Ukrainian travellers despite the wider challenges affecting international travel.

Ukraine’s growing visitor contribution is particularly valuable because it provides an additional source of demand while several of Antalya’s larger markets experience weaker performance.

Although Ukrainian arrivals remain considerably lower than those from Russia or Germany, the sustained increase strengthens the destination’s overall international tourism mix.

Uzbekistan Delivers Exceptional Tourism Growth With Nearly 50% More Visitors

Uzbekistan emerged as one of Antalya’s fastest-growing international source markets during the first nine months of the year.

Arrivals from Uzbekistan increased by approximately 49%, rising from 41,175 visitors during the previous year to 61,511.

The strong growth stands out against the broader decline in Antalya’s international tourism arrivals.

September produced an even more impressive result, with Uzbek visitor numbers climbing by 52.7% to 9,478.

Although Uzbekistan accounts for a relatively small proportion of Antalya’s overall tourism market, its rapid growth highlights the potential importance of emerging Central Asian visitor markets.

For the destination’s tourism industry, growth from countries beyond its established European customer base presents opportunities to develop a more diverse international audience.

The substantial percentage increase also suggests that Uzbekistan is becoming a more meaningful contributor to Antalya’s regional tourism demand.

However, the smaller absolute visitor volume means that the market’s expansion cannot yet fully compensate for reductions from larger countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.

Hungary Strengthens Antalya’s International Tourism Performance

Hungary also recorded encouraging growth, adding to the positive results delivered by several smaller and emerging source markets.

During the first nine months of the year, the number of Hungarian tourists visiting Antalya increased by 12.8% to 137,454.

This performance contrasted with declining arrivals from several other European countries.

The increase indicates that Antalya continued to appeal to Hungarian holidaymakers despite the broader slowdown across its international visitor markets.

Hungary’s growth also highlights the importance of tourism demand beyond the destination’s largest traditional source countries.

Together, Hungary, Ukraine and Uzbekistan generated a combined net increase of 57,167 visitors compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.

Although this growth did not offset the wider reduction in foreign arrivals, it provided an important positive contribution to Antalya’s overall tourism performance.

The results demonstrate that even during a period of declining international visitor numbers, individual markets can continue to expand and create new opportunities for destination development.

Romania Records the Sharpest Percentage Decline Among Major Source Markets

Romania experienced the largest percentage decrease among Antalya’s ten leading international tourism markets.

During the first nine months of the year, Romanian arrivals declined by 16.1%, falling from 395,974 to 332,235.

This represented a substantial reduction in visitor numbers and contributed to the overall weakness in Antalya’s international tourism performance.

The Romanian market has been an important contributor to tourism in the region, particularly within the wider European leisure travel segment.

Its sharp decline therefore adds another dimension to the challenges facing Antalya’s tourism industry.

Unlike Ukraine and Hungary, which recorded positive growth, Romania experienced a pronounced contraction.

The figures show that Antalya’s performance varied considerably between European countries, with some delivering stronger demand and others experiencing significant annual reductions.

This uneven pattern demonstrates why individual country results are important when assessing the destination’s overall tourism outlook.

Poland Shows Signs of Recovery as September Arrivals Return to Growth

Poland presented a mixed tourism performance during the January-to-September period.

Across the nine months, Antalya welcomed 1,051,168 Polish visitors, representing a decline of 5.1% compared with the previous year.

Despite the overall decrease, September brought a modest improvement.

Polish arrivals increased by 0.6% year on year to 195,567 visitors.

This positive result enabled Poland to move ahead of the United Kingdom and become Antalya’s third-largest source market during September.

The development is notable because it highlights Poland’s growing importance within the destination’s late-summer tourism market.

Although the nine-month figures remained below the previous year’s level, September’s increase suggests an improvement in short-term visitor demand.

For Antalya’s tourism industry, this represents an encouraging signal from one of its major European source countries.

Kazakhstan Records September Growth Despite a Weaker Nine-Month Performance

Kazakhstan followed a similar pattern to Poland, experiencing an overall decline during the first nine months but delivering positive growth in September.

Between January and September, Antalya received 340,795 visitors from Kazakhstan, representing a decrease of 2.7% compared with the previous year.

However, September arrivals increased substantially.

The destination welcomed 44,716 Kazakh visitors during the month, marking a 13.7% increase from September of the previous year.

This improvement suggests that tourism demand from Kazakhstan strengthened during the later part of the summer season.

Kazakhstan remains an important Central Asian market for Antalya, complementing the growing contribution from Uzbekistan.

The contrasting results between the nine-month period and September also reveal how monthly tourism trends can differ from cumulative annual performance.

Such variations are important for understanding whether individual markets are continuing to weaken or showing signs of renewed demand.

July, August and September Account for Most of Antalya’s International Visitors

The summer season remained the foundation of Antalya’s international tourism performance.

During July, August and September, the destination welcomed a combined 7.23 million foreign tourists.

These three months accounted for approximately 58% of all international arrivals recorded during the first nine months of the year.

The figures highlight the considerable importance of summer travel to Antalya’s tourism industry.

August was the strongest individual month, with approximately 2.52 million foreign visitors.

September followed with 2.19 million, demonstrating that international tourism activity remained substantial even after the height of the summer holiday season.

The concentration of visitor arrivals during these months reflects Antalya’s established appeal as a Mediterranean beach destination.

For hotels and other tourism businesses, the strength of the summer period remains essential to overall annual performance.

However, the seasonal concentration also shows why changes in visitor demand during July, August and September can have a particularly significant effect on the destination’s tourism results.

Antalya’s Tourism Decline Narrows as September Brings a Modest Improvement

One of the more encouraging findings in the latest tourism figures is the gradual narrowing of Antalya’s overall decline in foreign arrivals.

Between January and August, the destination experienced a 6.1% reduction in international visitor numbers compared with the previous year.

After September’s results were included, the cumulative decline narrowed to 5.6%.

Although the figures still indicate fewer tourists than a year earlier, the improvement suggests that September performed slightly better relative to the previous year than the earlier eight-month period combined.

This change does not represent a complete recovery, but it provides a more encouraging picture of the destination’s performance towards the end of the reporting period.

Growth from Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and Uzbekistan, together with positive September results from Poland and Kazakhstan, contributed to the more varied market picture.

The figures also show that Antalya’s tourism performance cannot be judged solely by the total number of foreign arrivals.

The composition of its visitor markets is changing, with some countries gaining importance while others deliver fewer holidaymakers.

Changing Visitor Markets Create New Opportunities for Antalya’s Tourism Industry

The latest arrival figures reveal both the strengths and vulnerabilities of Antalya’s international tourism sector.

On one hand, nearly 12.5 million foreign visitors in nine months represent a substantial flow of international tourism to the Turkish Mediterranean coast.

On the other, the annual reduction of more than 750,000 visitors demonstrates the scale of the slowdown compared with the previous year.

The decline in arrivals from Germany, the United Kingdom and Romania illustrates the destination’s exposure to changes in demand from established European markets.

At the same time, the growth recorded by Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and Uzbekistan highlights the value of maintaining a broad international customer base.

These contrasting trends may influence how Antalya’s accommodation providers, travel businesses and tourism authorities approach future market development.

Diversifying international demand could help reduce reliance on a small group of major source countries, although smaller markets would need sustained growth to offset significant reductions from larger ones.

The September results from Poland and Kazakhstan also show that demand can improve in individual markets even when cumulative arrivals remain below previous-year levels.

Antalya Remains a Leading Mediterranean Holiday Destination Despite Tourism Challenges

Antalya’s tourism industry enters the final part of the year with a combination of strong visitor volumes, changing international demand and signs of improvement in selected markets.

Russia remains the destination’s largest foreign tourism market, accounting for more than one-quarter of international arrivals during the first nine months.

Germany and the United Kingdom continue to deliver substantial numbers of holidaymakers, although both recorded notable declines.

Meanwhile, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Hungary have emerged as sources of positive growth, demonstrating that Antalya’s international appeal extends beyond its traditional visitor markets.

The strength of the summer season remains another important feature of the destination’s performance, with almost three-fifths of the nine-month foreign visitor total recorded during July, August and September.

The narrowing decline in cumulative international arrivals also offers a modestly more positive signal as the reporting period progresses.

With 13.33 million visitors recorded when domestic tourism is included, Antalya remains one of Türkiye’s most significant holiday destinations. Its next challenge will be sustaining demand from established markets while building on growth from emerging visitor countries, allowing the Mediterranean tourism hub to maintain its competitive position in an increasingly varied international travel market.

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