Türkiye’s southwestern Antalya city will host the 31st iteration of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in late November will extend the tourism season well into the month, while the event will help showcase the country’s efforts in sustainable tourism ahead of COP31, Antalya will also be home to the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on Oct. 5-9.
The two events are expected to increase occupancy rates at hotels and help extend the tourism season to October and November.
Kaan Kasif Kavaloglu, president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Investors’ Association (AKTOB), told Anadolu that the COP31 conference will leave a positive impact on the tourism season.
“There will be a surge in visitors in October due to IAC 26, and fall holidays also contribute to tourism during this period,” he said.
Kavaloglu said efforts to diversify tourism positively impacted occupancy rates in October, with some hotels closing in November because they were not eligible for conference and meeting tourism.
He noted that the tourism season will extend until the end of the third week of November due to the climate change event.
Kavaloglu mentioned that Türkiye was the first country to implement a sustainable tourism program in collaboration with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
“The tourism sector drives sustainability in our country,” he said. “We really wished for COP31 to be held in Türkiye and our dream is coming true — Türkiye, and the city of Antalya, have the necessary infrastructure for this event, where we will have an opportunity to showcase the sector’s sustainability initiatives,” he said.
Ismail Caglar, general manager of IC Hotels Green Palace and Villas, told Anadolu that a large number of guests ranging from conference groups to high-level government officials will be hosted at hotels across Antalya as a part of COP31.
Preparations for lodging, food and drinks, and security services have been completely reorganised to account for the surge during the event.
Caglar stated that COP31 coincides with the end of the tourism season, so the event’s extension of the season will generate significant activity.
“Hotels in the Kundu region in particular are seeing high occupancy rates due to the conference, as we normally would’ve already reached the end of the season by then,” he said.
He added that some 150,000 visitors are expected, positively impacting hotels.
