Cappadocia attracts 1 million people in just five months

According to official estimates, 1 million tourists visited Turkey's picturesque Cappadocia region in the central Nevsehir province in the first five months of this year.

The beautiful touristic hub, known for its characteristic fairy chimneys, underground cities, cave hotels, and hot air balloon excursions, attracted a total of 1.03 million domestic and international tourists.

Due to limits established to halt the spread of the coronavirus, the number of tourists visiting Cappadocia fell dramatically in 2020, from over 1.1 million in the same period of 2019, to roughly 323,000. Cappadocia welcomed around 333,633 local and international tourists in the first five months of last year.

COVID-19 is no longer an issue

According to a tour guide in the region, the tourism slowdown that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic has been forgotten as of this year: "Domestic tourists have been paying attention to cultural tourism in the past several years."

Another traveller said that she came to Cappadocia with her friends from Turkey's north-western Bolu province and that the tales about the region captivated them.

Thermal paradise Pamukkale

According to official estimates, Pamukkale, one of southern Turkey's oldest tourism attractions, welcomed 431,000 local and foreign visitors in the first five months of this year. The mineral-rich thermal springs and white travertine terraces make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pamukkale is a prominent tourist destination in Turkey's Aegean province of Denizli. It attracts visitors from all over the world, mainly from Europe, East Asia, Latin America, and Russia. During the first five months of last year, the internationally famous tourism site attracted over 127,000 domestic and international visitors.

"These data imply that we can easily fulfil the 2 million tourist objective we established at the beginning of the year," the chairman of a local tourism and hotel management association said to local reporters.

"We expect to have a season in Pamukkale similar to the one we had last year, if not better," he continued.