Turkish Coast: Antalya Minus Its Russian Tourists
Nearly 3 million Russians visit Antalya every year, making it Turkey's most popular tourist destination for Russian speakers. But a diplomatic feud between Ankara and Moscow has buffeted the industry on the Turkish riviera. (Photographs by Vaiva Katinaityte)
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The Kremlin Palace Hotel, popular among Russian tourists visiting Antalya, echoes Russia's famed seat of power in Moscow.
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In early December, the sandy beach behind the Kremlin Palace Hotel lies largely empty. Even in low seasons in the past, however, Russian tourists visited Antalya for its warm temperatures.
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The Matryoshka Park, with its oversized Russian nesting dolls and the white, blue, and red of the Russian tricolor, is located in Antalya's Konyaalti district.
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The five-star Hotel Delphin Palace caters to some of the huge number of Russian tourists that visit this coastal resort city each year.
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One of the many sparkling souvenir shops clustered around the hotels that Russian tourists frequent.
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Ahmet Hamdi Karagoz, owner of Antalya's Olbia Hotel, says Antalya's tourist infrastructure, its proximity to Moscow -- just a 2 1/2-hour flight -- and the two countries' visa-free relations have made the resort city "perfect" for Russians.
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The restaurant of the Olbia Hotel, like the hotel itself, was virtually empty on this early December weekend.
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Employees say business at Antalya's Mudem Tour travel agency, which relies heavily on Russian customers, is at a standstill.
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A fur and leather shop in Antalya that has drawn brisk business in the past.
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Sea Life, a spa hotel in central Antalya, is also popular among Russian visitors. But many of the hotel's guests are currently from western Europe.
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The Mamma Ruski restaurant has catered to the sizable Russian expatriate community in Antalya, as well as to the many Russian tourists that poured into the city.
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There are more than 300 glitzy, five-star hotels that hug Antalya's coastline.
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Antalya's virtually empty beaches are usually buzzing with tourists, even during the winter months when temperatures hover around 20 degrees Celsius.