The Most Visited Cities In The World: 2 Cities From Turkey On The List
Two cities from Turkey made it to the list of "the most visited cities in the world" prepared by the international research company "Euromonitor International". One of the cities in the top 5 managed to become the "unsung hero" by hosting 12 times more tourists than its population. Here are the two cities that made it to the list of the world's most popular destinations...
BBC Travel announced the most visited cities in the world. In 2023, when the return to the pre-pandemic period began, Istanbul and Antalya became the favorite destinations for foreign tourists.
Istanbul’s Tourist Arrivals Up 26 Percent
According to Euromonitor International, Istanbul has surpassed London and Dubai in the list of the world’s 100 most visited cities, with an increase of 26 percent compared to the previous year.
Istanbul topped the list, followed by London in second place and Dubai in third. In fourth place was Antalya, which the BBC described as the “unsung hero”.
Nameless Hero Antalya
Antalya, one of the popular holiday destinations of our country, hosted 12 times more tourists than its population in 2023. The population of the city was stated as 1.3 million.
Germans, Russians and British visited the city, which hosted 16.5 million tourists last year.
Antalya, which achieved a 29 percent increase in the number of tourists compared to 2022, is expected to increase the number of visitors in 2024.
Travel writer Stacey Leasca, writing for the BBC, said the city “once prompted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, to say: ‘There is no doubt that Antalya is the most beautiful place in the world'”.
A Return To Pre-pandemic Times
According to the BBC, there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists traveling abroad with the easing of restrictions during and after the pandemic.
Domestic and international flights also increased across Turkey. Flights increased by 16.3 percent in 2023 compared to 2022.
