People spend time on a beach in Antalya, Türkiye, on Aug. 27, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Tourists play in a swimming pool in Antalya, Türkiye, on Aug. 9, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

People swim in the sea in Antalya, Türkiye, on Aug. 27, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
Türkiye's southern coastal province of Antalya, well known for its golden beaches, is trying to attract more elderly European tourists running away from rising living costs.

As a major international tourism destination, the coastal zone has witnessed a significant increase in international tourists this year.

More than 23 million foreigners visited Turkey from January to July, more than twice the number for the whole year of 2021, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said last week.

Of all the inbound visitors, Germans account for the largest share with 2.9 million, followed by Russians with 2.1 million. Iranians also cracked the top five with 1.2 million.

Companies and hoteliers in Antalya believed that the rising living cost across the continent makes the Turkish province a more appealing destination for European pensioners.

They are seeking ways to ease the burden of the cost of living and Antalya is offering a solution, Recep Yavuz, chairman of the Antalya City Council's Tourism Working Group, told Xinhua.

Inflation jumped to a new all-time high of nearly 9 percent in July in Europe for the 19 countries bound by the euro, fuelled by rising energy costs caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

There is no sign of the energy crisis improving any time soon, as Europe prepares for the possibility that Russia will fully cut off its gas supplies in retaliation for the Western sanctions.

Besides, the weakening of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar and the euro since the start of 2021 has also made Türkiye an advantageous destination.

Tourism companies in Antalya have come up with "long stay packages" for pensioners from Northern European states, said Yavuz.

Deniz Soylemez, a tourism operator based in Türkiye's capital Ankara, said hosting elderly tourists during the winter would keep facilities active which generally remain idle during the season.

Türkiye was aiming for 37 billion dollars in tourism revenues and 47 million tourists this year, said Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy in early July.