Can September and October Be the New High Season in Antalya? A Critical Period for 12-Month Tourism

The definition of the season in Antalya tourism is changing. For many years, July and August were considered the peak season, but September and October are increasingly becoming a strong sales period in their own right rather than just an extension of the summer season.

According to Kaan Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Tourist Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), Antalya can carry summer traffic into the autumn thanks to its climate, international flight network, large accommodation capacity, and demand from various source markets. Kavaloğlu states that September and October are a critical transition period in Antalya's strategy to spread tourism over 12 months.

A news article published by Turizm Güncel on September 9, 2026, brought this assessment back to the forefront. However, the main source of the statements is AKTOB's evaluation by Kaan Kavaloğlu published on August 17, 2026. Therefore, what is being discussed here is not a new reservation data announced on September 9, but rather the sector's expectation for the season to extend into autumn.

Why are September and October now viewed differently?

One of Antalya's main advantages is its climate.

While summer conditions rapidly weaken in many holiday destinations in Europe by the end of August, conditions suitable for sea, outdoor, and resort use continue throughout September and October in Antalya. This extends the sales period of the destination, especially for couples less tied to the school calendar, adult groups, retirees, and customers seeking off-season prices.

However, attributing the season extension solely to the warm weather would be incomplete.

AKTOB sees the support of Antalya's sun-sea-sand product by golf, sports, health, wellness, gastronomy, culture, and congress tourism as one of the fundamental requirements for 12-month tourism. In the association's 2026 sector evaluation, golf, gastronomy, premium experiences, and wellness are particularly highlighted for the autumn period; while health, sports camps, long stays, and digital nomad segments are emphasized for the weaker early months of the year.

This distinction is important.

Selling summer products for a few more weeks in September and October means "extending the season"; generating meaningful demand in January, February, or March with completely different travel motivations truly means achieving 12-month tourism.

Antalya now has to carry a very large capacity

The extension of the season is not only an additional sales opportunity for hotels but also significant in terms of using the growing capacity more efficiently.

According to data published by AKTOB based on statements from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as of 2026, there are 2,709 licensed accommodation establishments and 619,644 beds in Antalya. In 2002, the number of licensed establishments was at 523.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to operate such a large accommodation infrastructure efficiently based solely on a few busy summer months.

Hotels' fixed costs continue throughout the year. Maintenance, security, technical staff, sales organization, and a significant portion of facility investments do not completely disappear even when the hotel is closed.

When the season extends for a few more months, existing assets can generate more overnight stays. This is particularly important for facility economics in an environment with high financing and personnel costs.

Being open 12 months is not the same as being profitable for 12 months

There is an important operational distinction here.

Keeping a hotel open in winter does not mean that the 12-month tourism model is successful.

In large resort facilities that remain open with low occupancy, heating, energy, kitchen, personnel, and technical operation costs can rise faster than the revenue generated.

Therefore, hotels should evaluate their decision to operate year-round not only based on occupancy but also on contribution margin.

For example, a 35% winter occupancy with a higher package price and strong golf-spa revenue can be economically viable. In contrast, a low-priced 50% occupancy can create losses for the same facility.

The operational equivalent of the 12-month tourism strategy is therefore not "keeping the hotel open" but creating a separate revenue model for the low season.

Golf is one of the most ready winter products for Antalya

Among alternative tourism products, golf is one of the most developed options in Antalya.

Especially in Belek, golf facilities and high-end accommodation infrastructure have been able to generate international demand during winter and transition seasons for many years.

AKTOB also states in its assessment regarding the UK market that golf and sports tourism particularly support the year-round tourism goal during the winter period. It is noted that the number of British visitors to Antalya reached approximately 1.5 million in 2025, and the growth potential for 2026 continues.

The advantage of golf from a business perspective is not just room sales.

Golf players can also spend on transfers, course usage, food and beverage, spa, and other services. This helps the hotel to support its low-season room revenue with ancillary income.

Sports camps also require a different operation

Another product that Antalya can utilize during the winter period is sports tourism.

Football and other sports camps create different demands compared to classic holiday customers. Needs such as training fields, special meal plans, meeting rooms, equipment areas, and team transfers differ from standard resort operations.

This segment can fill rooms in the low season, but the hotel product must be designed accordingly.

The same applies to congress and event tourism. Having a large meeting room alone is not sufficient to enter the MICE market; technical infrastructure, group reservation management, banquet service, and transportation connections must work together.

Culture and gastronomy can increase out-of-hotel spending

Another issue in Antalya's 12-month tourism model is that visitors stay within the resort.

In a visitor survey supported by TÜBİTAK shared by AKTOB in 2026, there is strong interest in Kaleiçi, historical sites, and natural attractions. The association evaluates that integrating culture, gastronomy, shopping, events, and local life experiences more into the tourism product can increase per capita income.

This approach is also valuable in terms of extending the season.

If visitors can be offered ancient cities, gastronomy routes, city experiences, or nature activities during periods like November or March when beach usage is more limited, the dependency of Antalya's product on air temperature may decrease.

Enhancing the visitor experience at archaeological sites such as Aspendos, Side, Patara, and others is also one of the components of this product diversification. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also associates sports, gastronomy, culture, and nature products in Antalya with the 12-month tourism goal.

If there are no flights, 12-month tourism will remain limited

When hotels develop products, it becomes difficult to create demand if airline capacity does not continue at the same pace.

One of the main reasons for Antalya's summer success is its ability to receive direct connections from many European and CIS cities.

When a significant portion of these flights is reduced during the winter months, the accessibility of the destination for customers changes. Connecting travel can increase both duration and price.

Therefore, the 12-month tourism strategy is not a topic that hotels can solve alone.

A joint sales plan is needed to support sufficient seat capacity for the winter period among airlines, tour operators, airports, destination management, and hotels.

Diversity of source markets can make the season more resilient

In the first four months of 2026, significant differences were observed among source markets in Turkey's outlook.

According to AKTOB's assessment, the number of visitors from China increased by 36.5%, and from the USA by around 13%, while there was a decline in a significant portion of the Gulf market due to geopolitical developments.

This differentiation shows the importance of market diversity for Antalya.

Each country's holiday calendar, travel period, and product preference are different. In addition to large markets like Germany, the UK, and Russia, developing different sources can reduce the concentration of the season to a few months.

However, distant markets do not necessarily need to be won over with the same product as resort holidays.

Culture, gastronomy, and city experiences can create stronger motivations than classic sea holidays in some markets.

Success in September-October should not be confused with winter success

Antalya's strong demand in September and October is a positive indicator.

However, this should not mean that 12-month tourism has been completed.

September and October are still months where the summer product can largely function from a climatic perspective. The real test begins in the November-March period.

If meaningful flight capacity, sufficient open hotels, continuity of staff, and ready-to-sell alternative products can be created during these months, it means that the season has truly spread throughout the year.

Therefore, Antalya's strategic goal is greater than just "filling October": producing different customers and different travel reasons for every period outside of summer.

Stafflink's view

The strengthening of September and October is important for Antalya because a long season allows hotels to generate more revenue from their large assets.

However, in our opinion, the success of 12-month tourism should not be measured solely by occupancy rates remaining above zero in winter.

The real question is whether every room, restaurant, and department opened in the low season is operating profitably.

If golf, sports, MICE, wellness, gastronomy, and culture are matched with the right source markets, Antalya can transition from a summer holiday destination to a year-round travel destination.

September and October are a good bridge for this transformation. However, the real test of 12-month tourism will begin in the months when swimming is no longer the primary reason for travel.