Bulut Says Tourism Will Be Better In 2002

ANTALYA, Jan 10 (A.A) - Professional Hotel Managers' Association (POYD) Chairman Turgen Sevki Bulut said on Thursday that a revival would start in tourism in Antalya province as of March 2002, adding that this year would be better than the last year.
Bulut told the A.A correspondent that Turkey caught a great increase in the number of the tourists in the first ten months of 2001 and reached its targets.
Pointing out that 4.5 million tourists had visited Antalya in 2001, Bulut said that revival would began in tourism as of March 2002.
Bulut said, ''if there is not any hitch, we are expecting a 20 percent increase in the number of tourists in 2002 when compared to the last year.''
NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITING IZMIR IN 2001 REACHES 620,026
The number of tourists who visited western province of Izmir in 2001 reached 620,026 with a 28.73 percent increase when compared to the previous year.
Izmir Provincial Tourism Directorate officials told the A.A correspondent on Thursday that number of tourists who preferred airways increased 30.16 percent to 562,952 while 57,074 tourists came to Izmir by sea with a 16.19 percent increase in 2001 when compared to the previous year.
A total of 158,000 German; 127,000 French; 69,000 Dutch and 56,000 British tourists visited Izmir in 2001.
Officials said that there was a 38.8 percent increase in number of German tourists, a 35.7 percent rise in number of French tourists and a 59.7 percent increase in number of Dutch tourists who travelled Izmir in 2001 when compared to the previous year.