Foreign tourists, who prefer Antalya for their vacation, have found Turkey to be safe and do not want to return home as global coronavirus infections continue to rise.
The number of foreign residents in Antalya on the Mediterranean increased after Turkey began international flights and lifting travel restrictions, according to the mukhtar, or head, of Mahmutlar Neighborhood.
ANTALYA HOSTS MORE THAN 100,000 FOREIGN RESIDENTS
Ahmet Top said 12,000 people from 40 nations live in the Neighborhood that has a population of 65,000.
Russians make up half of the figure, and those from Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Iran settled in the district by buying or renting homes, according to Top, who said there are no coronavirus patients in intensive care units at local hospitals and the number of cases are very low compared to foreigners’ home countries — underlining that coronavirus measures are strictly applied in the Neighborhood.
“The first choice of the Russians is Antalya, both for a holiday and settling,” according to the head of the Russian Art and Culture Association Irina Balci. There are more than 100,000 foreign residents in Antalya and most of them are Russians, she said.
With reassuring coronavirus measures in Turkey and the start of flights, Russians flocked to the region and a considerable number preferred to rent homes and stay. “They find here safer and they are waiting for the pandemic to end,” she added.
In Turkey, very effective measures were taken against the virus and the risk is less, said Iranian Christine Farami, who has been living in the city for 14 months.