High hopes in Pamukkale for tourist arrivals

During the first three months of the year, the UNESCO World Heritage site Pamukkale, also know as the “white paradise”, situated in western Turkey’s Denizili province, managed to attract more visitors than any previous years.

In particular, the thermal facilities at Pamukkale saw an incredible surge in the number of visitors during the recent half-term holidays. According to the official figures, the region welcomed a total of 229,897 visitors between the three-month period of January to March this year, which is compared to 129,469 visitors attracted during the same period in 2022.

Chairperson speaks on Denizli province and rising tourism

The chairperson of Denizli Touristic Hotel and Operators Association (DENTUROD), Gazi Murat Sen, explained that following the devastating earthquakes in the southeast of Turkey, there was a downturn of domestic guests choosing to travel to the area.

While noting the setbacks experienced, tourism professionals in the area have continued their preparations for the region to gain more strength ahead of the summer months. Sen explained that: “Starting from June, we will see that the demand will increase again, especially regarding foreign arrivals.”

Furthermore, he added: “We have not lost our hope for 2023. We have set a target of three million visitors for Pamukkale. We will do our best as tourism professionals to reach this target.”

Rising figures since the earthquakes

Sen explained that approximately 86,911 individuals visited the region in January alone, and while there had been a decline in February due to the earthquakes, the numbers had steadily risen through March.

“In the first three months, Pamukkale received approximately 230,000 visitors. The months we receive the highest number of visitors are generally July, August, September, and October. In these months, we attracted over 400,000 visitors in a month in earlier seasons,” Sen explained. He continued to add that they were expecting the numbers to continue to rise across the year as well, with the beginning of the summer season.

The region and its appeal

Famous for its natural springs, the Pamukkale region is situated in close proximity to the white travertine terraces. The pools, which date back to ancient Hierapolis, were formed naturally following the collapse of a series of columns during an earthquake in 692 A.D., which then caused thermal water to accumulate.