Alanya

Alanya is a seaside resort city and district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean region, 120 km east from the city of Antalya. The municipal district, which includes the city center, has close to 400,000 inhabitants. Alanya is home to around 15,000 European residents with a growing presence in the city and its economy.

The relatively moderate Mediterranean climate, natural attractions and historic heritage makes Alanya a popular destination for tourism and responsible for nine percent of Turkey's tourism sector and thirty percent of foreign purchases of real estate in Turkey. Tourism has risen since 1958 and became the dominant industry in the city, resulting a corresponding increase in city population. Warm-weather sporting events such as beach volleyball and cultural festivals annually take place in Alanya.

Since the first modern motel was built in 1958, it was considered the first year of tourism in Alanya. Hotels have raced to accommodate the incoming flow of tourists, and the city as counted in 2007 claims 157,000 hotel beds. Damlatas Cave, which originally sparked the arrival of outsiders because of the cave's microclimate with an average temperature of 22 #176;C and 95% humidity, is accessible on the west side of the peninsula with trails from Damlatas Beach. Many tourists, especially Scandinavians, Germans, Russians, and Dutch, regularly vacate in Alanya during the warmer months. They are drawn to the area because of the property prices, sunny warm weather, sandy beaches, access to many historic sites in the area and fine cuisine.