Antalya

The owner of a famous hotel chain in Turkey has criticized the lack of a “New Year’s Eve spirit” in the touristic southern city of Antalya.

A hotel in the southern tourist hotspot of Antalya has begun cutting a large number of trees to make way for a golf course, after legal changes that no longer require the acquisition of Environmental Assessment Reports (ÇED) for facilities such as malls or golf courses.

The quick depreciation of the Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar might affect Turkish tourism, warned Yusuf Hacısalihoğlu, head of the Association of Mediterranean Tourism and Hoteliers of Turkey (AKTOB), during a conference in the Turkish resort of Antalya on Nov. 28.

The provincial education director of the Mediterranean city of Antalya, speaking at the Antalya Chamber of School Shuttles, said the following: "Girls will not sit in the front seat of shuttles; they will take the back seats. The ones taking the front seats will absolutely be boys."

Bad weather conditions have hit a number of provinces across Turkey, with many roads blocked by heavy snowfall.

Officials have warned that more snow is to come in six southeastern provinces, including Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Batman and Siirt, especially in towns at higher altitudes. They warned that citizens should be cautious.

Conflicts in neighboring countries as well as domestic issues have had a negative impact on hotel reservations in Turkey, the Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) said in a written statement Nov. 23.

An explosion occurred at a large laundry facility on an industrial site in the southern Turkish province of Antalya on the morning of Nov. 19.
     
Ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. Ahmet Kısa, the president of the provincial fire department, has said the explosion left two people dead and wounded at least 13 others, with three in serious condition.

Turkey welcomes the sixth most number of tourists every year.

The Santa Claus Museum in the southern province of Antalya’s Demre district was visited by more than half a million people in the first 10 months of the year, according to new figures released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The museum and its surroundings is the most visited and profitable site in Antalya.

The 15th International Antalya Piano Festival will be held from Nov. 7 and 29, featuring 20 concerts by 26 virtuosos from nine countries, eight master classes, 20 workshops and six talks in the Mediterranean Turkish province.