Mulkas Group

Foreigners flock to Antalya for tourism and residence

The tourism star of Turkey’s Mediterranean
coast, Antalya, is expected to

host at least 8 million tourists this year and is already home
to 13,000 foreigners.
expat Foreigners flock to Antalya for tourism and residence
Knut Alfei – Nie Chang Qing

Why? Residents and visitors
alike cite its climate, the beautiful natural environment close to the city and
the hospitable nature of its Turkish population.

The number of foreign residents in Antalya has reached
13,225, with Germans making up the biggest portion of this group. Some 2,745
Germans live in Antalya and its towns according to police office resources. The
most popular district is within Antalya is Alanya. “I bought a house in Oba [in
Alanya] six years ago and I am very satisfied with my life here,” said
59-year-old German Günter Wojeiechowski. “Alanya is a beautiful place; the sun
is out more than 300 days a year. There is both the sea and the mountains, and I
swim and sunbathe here freely. We have friendly chats with people and visit our
Turkish neighbors. I adore the Turkish culture,” said Wojeiechowski, adding that
life in Alanya is very different to life in Antalya.


Wojeiechowski’s neighbor Dörte Schumacher, who settled
in Alanya seven years ago, said what he likes most about Alanya is the Turkish
culture and the friendliness of its people. “I admire Turkish culture. The
Turkish come and ask, ‘How do you do?’ Germans do not have such good manners. We
feel pretty good here. Life is easygoing and comfortable. There is not much
stress,” continued Schumacher. He further noted that he spends his days
swimming, wandering around and relaxing. The neighbors both feel so connected to
the area that they want to be buried there.
Fifty-four-year-old German Mathias Goldstein, who
settled in Alanya in 2003 originally planning just to rest, later decided to go
into business. Goldstein said that he has been performing jobs like making
garage doors and installing heating and cooling systems in Alanya for the past
three years. Like may locals, he too has profited from increased foreign
interest in real estate in the area and the resultant development. Goldstein,
who emphasized that they are pretty content living in Alanya as a family, said
that he has improved his Turkish in a short time. “I want to spend the remainder
of my life in Alanya and to be buried here,” he noted, adding that the warm
relationships he has with people in Alanya are a key aspect of his love for the
city. He noted that his children spend their holidays in Alanya.

His wife Ines Goldstein also said she was in love with
Alanya. Ines, who works with her husband in their business, said that they have
formed many friendships in Alanya and that she knows and greets most of the
people she sees on the street. Ines said that the warmth of the Turkish people
was the most significant factor in attracting them to the city. “Most of the
foreigners do not need to learn Turkish since most of the Turkish people here
know either English or German, but it shouldn’t be like this. It is necessary to
learn the language,” said Ines. She also noted that both she and her husband
have learned Turkish out of respect for the Turkish people and their culture.
Ines stressed that they came here not to earn money but to live.

‘I’m here for the sake of my
friends’

Alanya is home to people from nations other than just
Germany. Norwegian Knut Alfei, an estate agent in Kaleiçi, said that he first
visited Turkey’s beaches in 1996 and later decided to settle down in Alanya.
“Originally I settled in Turkey because of the hot weather. Then I made friends
here. They tied me to the place. Now I am here not for the weather but for my
friends. I have been married to a Turkish woman for four-and-a-half years, and I
want to spend the rest of my life here,” said Alfei, declaring that he adores
Turkish people.

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