Russian tourists lead foreign arrivals in Antalya

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey in the January-May period increased by 16.3% from a year ago, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry said.

Some 4 million tourists marked the highest-ever foreign arrivals for the January-May period, according to the ministry.

Some 974,272 Germans vacationed in the province on the Mediterranean coast, topping the list of foreign tourists visiting Antalya.

Russians ranked second at 858,000, followed by Britons at more than 451,000, the ministry said.

Tourist arrivals from Germany and Russia increased by 18% and 9%, respectively, from the January-May period last year. The number of British tourists surged 28% year-on-year.

Antalya also drew a large number of holidaymakers from Poland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belgium and France.

In May alone, Antalya attracted a total of 1.9 million foreign holidaymakers, marking a steep 18.7% increase from the same month of 2023.

Last month, Russians topped the list of foreign tourists at 491,000, a 26% increase from a year ago, while Germans and Britons came second and third at 435,000 and 185,000, respectively.