Antalya

The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey's top holiday resort town of Antalya decreased by 81 percent, as their numbers plummeted to 2,427 in January from 12,870 of January 2015 while the total number of tourists visiting the city in January decreased 17 percent, according to official figures.  

Istanbul took ninth place, and Antalya was ranked 11th in Euromonitor's "Top 100 City Destinations" list, a report which monitors the number of international tourist arrivals has said.

Artvin, a Black Sea destination in Turkey's northeast, was placed at number 100 in the list, which was released Jan. 29.

A baby seal became disoriented due to heavy snowfall and storms on the night of Jan. 17, taking shelter on land in the Kaleiçi Marina in the southern Turkish resort province of Antalya.

Locals noticed the seal and called the Coast Guard at 3:00 a.m. on Jan. 18.

Turkey's biggest convention center is almost finished and is scheduled to open its doors in April for EXPO 2016 Antalya.

Located in the southern province and seaside city of Antalya, the new center is being built on 41,000-square meters of land and will have a seating capacity of 5,003 people, according to the project builders.      

During the restoration of the 800-year-old Alaaddin Mosque in the southern province of Antalya's Korkuteli district, the structure's crown gate, a rare example of stone masonry, has been broken into pieces. 

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Ünal has said the sector has unavoidably affected negatively with the Russian crisis as well as regional uncertainties. He expects around 4.5 million losses in the number of Russian tourists this year. 

The Antalya Women's Museum is set to become Turkey's third women's museum following ones in Istanbul and ?zmir, having already launched a virtual museum online.

Turkey is trying to lure more European football clubs this year, though it has lost around 50 million euros in football tourism income amid the diplomatic crisis with Russia, said a senior sector representative. The Mediterranean resort of Antalya alone is expected to host around 1,500 football clubs in 2016 for more than 55 million euros of tourism income. 

The best news in recent days is this: One of the most important port cities of the ancient era, Phaselis in Antalya, has finally been saved with its ruins dating back to the seventh century B.C. together with its endemic plants, whose names are mentioned in mythology.

Southern Antalya province's resort town of Belek, a popular destination for golfers, is aiming to increase its share of the global golf tourism market to compensate for the loss of Russian tourists.