By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL- The President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association in Turkiye (AKTOB) Kaan Kasif Kavaloglu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that hosting COP31 in Antalya will be a top strategic step for Turkiye’s international standing. The major climate talks will be held from November 8 to November 20 in Antalya, it will mark the 31st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). What will make this year’s climate talks more significant is that along with COP31, Antalya will also be hosting the “5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026)” and the “77 International Astronautical Congress (IAC).” This is expected to boost Antalya’s appeal as a popular tourism hub. Antalya is already an international meeting site for diplomacy, science, weddings, congresses and environmental policy, according to tourism experts.
The Antalya EXPO Center will be the venue for the climate talks where visitors from 196 countries will meet with many events planned across various venues within Antalya, at the same time. COP31 will be addressing key issues such as greenhouse gas reduction targets, the current state of climate change, sustainability and environmental policy. All three events are expected to boost and extend Antalya’s tourism season during November 2026. Kavaloglu told AA that Antalya is set to host over 17 million tourists in 2026 and spoke of the efforts to get Antalya chosen for COP31. As Kavaloglu said: “We achieved this thanks to the efforts of our president, our minister of culture and tourism, and especially Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum. We worked very hard to bring it to Turkiye.” He added this year’s participation will be high and that numerous heads of state are expected to attend COP31. Kavaloglu added: “This major congress will extend the tourism season for this year, but what really matters are the follow-up meetings that come afterward.”
