Türkiye: COP31 and space congress extend Antalya’s tourism season - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Antalya is preparing for an unusually long tourism season in 2026. The Turkish Mediterranean destination will host two major international events during the autumn, bringing thousands of delegates to the region at a time when many hotels would normally be winding down operations for the year.

The 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) will take place from 5 to 9 October, followed by the UN Climate Change Conference COP31 in late November. Tourism representatives expect the combination of the two events to strengthen hotel demand in October and November and extend the season until well into the final weeks of autumn.

International events boost autumn demand

The International Astronautical Congress is expected to generate additional visitor numbers in early October, complementing demand associated with autumn holidays. COP31 will then provide another substantial influx of international visitors towards the end of the traditional tourism season.

Kaan Kaşif Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Investors Association (AKTOB), expects the events to have a noticeable impact on occupancy. He said visitor numbers would rise in October as a result of IAC 2026, while autumn holidays would provide additional demand.

Efforts to diversify Antalya's tourism offer have already helped improve October occupancy rates. Conference and meeting tourism could now extend business further into November, although some properties not geared towards the MICE segment are still expected to close for the season.

According to Kavaloğlu, COP31 should effectively extend Antalya's tourism season until the end of the third week of November.

COP31 puts sustainable tourism in the spotlight

Beyond the immediate impact on hotel demand, the climate conference will provide Türkiye with an international platform for presenting its sustainability initiatives in tourism.

Kavaloğlu pointed to Türkiye's cooperation with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and said the tourism industry had become an important driver of sustainability efforts in the country. Antalya, he added, has the infrastructure required to accommodate an event on the scale of COP31.

Hosting the conference is also expected to focus attention on the relationship between tourism development and environmental policy in one of the Mediterranean's largest leisure destinations.

Antalya hotels prepare for conference demand

Hotels across Antalya are adjusting their operations for the expected influx of conference delegates, government representatives and other international visitors.

İsmail Çağlar, General Manager of IC Hotels Green Palace and Villas, said accommodation, food and beverage operations and security arrangements had been reorganised in preparation for COP31.

The timing is particularly significant for resorts in Antalya's Kundu area. By late November, many properties would normally have reached the end of their main season, but conference demand is producing high occupancy levels at participating hotels.

Çağlar said around 150,000 visitors are expected in connection with COP31, creating substantial additional business for the city's accommodation sector.

MICE tourism helps Antalya reduce seasonality

The two congresses illustrate the growing importance of international events as Antalya seeks to reduce its dependence on the traditional summer holiday period.

The destination already has extensive resort capacity and conference infrastructure, allowing hotels to accommodate large international groups outside the peak beach season. With the International Astronautical Congress in October and COP31 in November, that infrastructure will be used across two consecutive months.

For Antalya's tourism industry, the result could be more than a temporary increase in occupancy. Major international congresses provide an opportunity to strengthen the city's position as a year-round MICE destination while keeping hotels, restaurants and tourism services active significantly longer into the autumn.

Image Credit: © AI generated illustration using material courtesy of AA