In Antalya, a major tourist metropolis on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, over 1.5 million guests are expected to arrive for the 31st United Nations Climate Summit (COP31), which starts on Monday.
According to Turkish Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum, who chairs COP31, this estimate is three times higher than the usual number of visitors to the province in November in recent years, although more than two million people visit there monthly in the summer.
The organizers of COP31, which will run until November 20, confirmed the participation of 85 heads of state or government, about 3,000 journalists, and applications from 45,000 volunteers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will host the leaders' summit, scheduled for November 11 and 12. Participants will also include Brazilian President Lula da Silva and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Lula previously attended the previous conference, COP30, in Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, where the world's largest tropical forest zone is located.
Significant absences are also expected at the summit, such as from US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing announced that it will send a vice president, and the United States will send a congressional delegation.
Furthermore, France, Germany, India, and Russia are not included in the preliminary list of speakers for the leaders' summit, according to information published by the UN on October 21.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro also does not plan to participate in the leaders' summit; the Portuguese delegation at COP31 will be headed by Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho.
In the city, situated between the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and traces of Roman history, a complex of buildings, gardens, and pavilions spanning one million square meters, including fields, orchards, and forests, is hosting the crucial global climate summit. This year's mission is to move from promises to action and focus on finding ways to reduce the gap between the rapid progress of global warming and the pace of international commitments to mitigate it.
As usual, the area is divided into a so-called 'blue zone' for official delegates and a 'green zone' for the general public. According to Kurum, four exhibitions featuring 120 Turkish and 70 foreign artists will take place in the green zone.
Despite the fact that ecology, technology, and climate are being discussed in the area, Turkish authorities are also using this opportunity to showcase the region's tourist, historical, gastronomic, and cultural attractions through numerous parallel events, masterclasses, and concerts.
Antalya is the main tourist center of Turkey, expecting 14 million visitors in 2025, of whom 13 million are foreigners. Moreover, in the first ten months of the current year, the number of visitors has already exceeded 15 million.
The province has more than 2,700 hotels with a total capacity of 620,000 beds, distributed along 180 kilometers of coastline east of Antalya, which mainly attracts tourists who prefer sun and beach.
The flow of visitors is stable in the city itself, built on rocky cliffs surrounding a fishing port, and possessing a historic center with remains of Roman fortifications.
The summit has also received musical accompaniment: Tarkan, one of the most famous stars of Turkish pop, presented the song
