Why is Antalya a most favorable destination for Russians to settle?

Not many people know that there are thousands of Russian citizens who have immigrated to Turkey and settled down in Antalya and surroundings, the most lively town on the Turkish Mediterranean. Thus it is not only an issue of mutual trade and Russian tourists coming in when we talk about the ties between two countries and nations actually but it also has to do with all those people of Russian citizenship who have started a new life in Turkey.

Now when we wonder about “why would a Russian citizen find Turkey (and Antalya region in particular) so attractive to the extent of willing to start a new life over here” surveys show us following motivation factors;

First of all they like the warm climate and good environmental conditions. It goes without saying Turkey’s image as a livable country with true hospitality offered by the natives is another factor that makes it attractive.

In Antalya region a foreigner could not really feel much homesick as there is a high presence of foreigners of different nationalities making it easy to mingle with other people and establish social connections.

On the other hand it is also observed that there are some working and business opportunities in the region especially in terms of Russian-speaking labor force with expectation of good earnings.

To recap, Russians – despite the recent downed jet fighter crisis between Turkey and Russia – seem to be still very much fond of the prospect of a permanent stay in the Antalya region and it looks as if they do not have much of a problem mingling with natives (Turks) either. To verify this observation it would be useful to mention that citizens of two different countries living here together have even established a specific culture festival between two different communities living in the region to improve and strengthen the friendship and relation between them, which is held in December each year. The name of the event is called Russian-Turkish Culture Festival. In below link you can read more about the periodical event.

See link for Antalya Russian-Turkish Culture Festival 2016