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Türkiye plans to turn Antalya's Expo grounds into one of the country's largest congress, exhibition and event centers following the COP31 climate summit in November, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced Saturday, as the Mediterranean city kicked off its nine-day Culture Route Festival.
Speaking at the opening of the fourth Antalya Culture Route Festival, Ersoy said the project would help extend the city's tourism season beyond the summer months by drawing in international conferences, trade fairs and major events during winter and spring.
The announcement came alongside a festival program featuring more than 440 events across over 40 venues, bringing together concerts, exhibitions, opera, ballet, traditional crafts and regional gastronomy.
Antalya will host COP31, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, from Nov. 9 to 20.
Following the summit, the government plans to set up a new professional management structure under the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) to oversee the development of the EXPO grounds.
The proposed facility will focus on the MICE sector, which covers meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, with the aim of attracting international business events throughout the year.
"After hosting this major international organization, we are moving toward a new structure under the TGA, made up of professionals, to establish one of Türkiye's largest and most important exhibition, congress and event centers at the Antalya EXPO site," Ersoy said.
The minister added that the project would provide a high-standard international venue while bringing more activity to Antalya during the traditionally quieter winter and spring seasons.
He also said the development was expected to contribute to the city's social, cultural and artistic life.
Alongside the infrastructure announcement, Ersoy outlined the program for Antalya's Culture Route Festival, part of a nationwide initiative combining cultural performances, exhibitions and tourism experiences.
The festival has expanded to 26 Turkish cities this year, with plans to reach 32 cities in 2027.
Konyaalti Beach Park will serve as the main concert venue, hosting performances by Simge, Poizi, Sefo, Gokhan Turkmen, Ebru Yasar, Demet Akalin and Hakan Altun.
The performing arts program will feature ballet interpretations of Anna Karenina and Carmina Burana, alongside a production of the opera Attila.
More than 30 exhibitions and installations, nearly 30 workshops and activities for children will also take place throughout the festival.
The festival's exhibition program will highlight both historical collections and contemporary Turkish art.
An exhibition dedicated to Ottoman sacred relics will showcase religious artifacts, coverings from the Kaaba in Mecca and copies of the Quran, offering visitors an introduction to the empire's religious heritage.
Meanwhile, the Living Heritage Antalya exhibition will bring together artisans officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as bearers of intangible cultural heritage, a designation for people who preserve and pass down traditional knowledge and skills.
Visitors will be able to explore filigree metalwork, glassmaking, woodworking, carpet weaving, pottery, ceramics, felt-making, paper marbling, manuscript illumination and miniature painting.
Workshops, short film screenings and a discussion about Antalya's traditional Buttoned Houses, known for their distinctive wooden construction, will complement the exhibition.
Another exhibition, Three Painters, will feature works by Alaeddin Aksoy, Mehmet Guleryuz and Komet from the collection of Mustafa Taviloglu.
Food will also play a central role in the festival, with 85 designated culinary stops introducing visitors to Antalya's regional cuisine.
Chef Mehmet Akdag will lead the gastronomy program, which will cover routes through Antalya, Korkuteli, Elmali, Gombe, Finike, Beycik and Kas, as well as Manavgat and Alanya.
The culinary offerings will combine Mediterranean flavors with the influence of Yoruk culture, the traditional nomadic heritage of communities in Anatolia.
Ersoy said the initiative was part of broader efforts to promote Turkish cuisine internationally while highlighting the culinary identities of individual regions.
Over ₺1 billion in archaeology funding?
Beyond the festival, Ersoy outlined the government's cultural heritage investments in Antalya, including archaeological excavations, conservation programs and museum projects.
Under the Heritage for the Future initiative, which supports archaeological research and the preservation of ancient sites, work has been carried out at 26 archaeological locations across Antalya since 2024.
The ministry allocated more than ₺1.06 billion between 2024 and 2026 for excavations and minor restoration work.
Ersoy also said 24 heritage projects and 101 implementation works had been completed between 2018 and 2026, while additional projects remained underway.
Museum developments over the past eight years have included the opening of the Antalya Ethnography Museum, Mevlevihane Museum, Necropolis Museum, Alanya Ataturk House, Museum of Lycian Civilizations and Side Arif Mufid Mansel Archaeology Museum.
The minister also highlighted infrastructure investments, including wastewater treatment facilities costing a combined ₺8 billion, the opening of 14 free public beaches and the completion of the Ibradi Ormana Cultural Center.
Ersoy linked the planned EXPO transformation to Türkiye's wider strategy of expanding tourism across all 12 months of the year and all 81 provinces.
He emphasized the importance of diversifying source markets, developing new tourism products and strengthening the sector's ability to withstand international crises.
Referring to challenges ranging from the collapse of travel company Thomas Cook and the COVID-19 pandemic to regional conflicts, Ersoy said Türkiye had demonstrated increasing resilience in tourism.
The new congress and exhibition project, he added, would form part of that strategy by broadening Antalya's tourism offerings beyond its established leisure market.
With the Culture Route Festival bringing hundreds of events to the city and preparations moving ahead for COP31, Antalya is set to combine its cultural program with plans for a larger role in international meetings and exhibitions.
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