Turkey is expected to become the second most popular country as a destination in Europe by 2024, yet the nation is also facing challenges such as severe traffic congestion due to overtourism.
Growth in 2023 vs. 2024
World Travel Market (WTM) and Tourism Economics reveal in the Global Travel Report that Turkey is currently ranked third in the top 10 destinations by inbound leisure trips.
Additionally, it has achieved the largest post-pandemic recovery rate of all the top European countries, with a 72% increase in inbound leisure tourism spending compared with 2019 levels.
Furthermore, TravelSupermarket found that the average price of all-inclusive trips to Turkey had increased by more than 30% compared with 2019. Despite inflation, the Turkish lira nosedived in Q2-2023, making it more affordable to a wider variety of global travellers while offering scenic landscapes and shorelines, trendy neighbourhoods, spectacular architecture and monuments, and exhilarating activities.
Although the report expects many of Europe’s largest inbound markets to see significant growth in spending, the report anticipates that Turkey will lead the way. In 2024, the country is expected to make the biggest contribution to global inbound leisure travel spending, with a 13% share, overtaking France for second place.
However, it is not all smooth sailing.
Balancing act
The tourism hub, Antalya, has been trying to address challenges with extreme traffic congestion.
Recep Yavuz, Head of the Antalya City Council’s Tourism Working Group, told Xinhua News that they had received many complaints from tourists about waiting a long time in traffic jams.
According to Yavuz, tourists have been spending more time shuttling from the airport to their accommodation to other popular spots, especially during the peak season between May and September, than exploring the beautiful city.
An Antalya-based tour operator believes the issue is a result of the massive influx of tourists and the limited capacity of the city’s roads, highways and other infrastructure to accommodate the surge in tour buses.
Experts and industry officials fear the traffic congestion will hinder the region’s tourism image. As a result, measures to expand the capacity of Antalya’s transport infrastructure are being sought.
Furthermore, one of the busiest airports in the country, Antalya Airport, is currently undergoing renovations and an expansion that will double its annual capacity from 40 million to 80 million passengers. Renovations are expected to be completed in January 2025.
