ISTANBUL, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Several planes carrying Russian tourists landed last week in Turkey's Mediterranean provinces of Mugla and Antalya for the first time this year, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Mugla, hosting several resort towns such as Bodrum and Marmaris, and Antalya, known for its long beaches and mass golf courses, are among the most popular destinations of Russian travelers to Turkey.

The TURSAB revealed that the frequency of flights from Russian cities would increase significantly starting from April, with the launch of multiple charter flights that are expected to last until November.

"As travel plans for 2021 accelerate these days, we see positive signals regarding requests for Turkey from our leading markets," said Firuz Baglikaya, head of the TURSAB, mainly referring to the demands in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and Britain.

"Apparently foreign guests have very much missed Turkey during the pandemic, and we also missed them," he said in a written statement.

Baglikaya highlighted that the country's tourism representatives expect significant dynamism during the new tourism season, which will kick off in April.

In his view, Turkey will attract more than 20 million foreign tourists this year, up by 70 percent from the figure of 2020.

"We consider every detail and take all necessary precautions so that they can have a safe and healthy holiday in our country," the chairman added.

Baglikaya believes the ongoing nationwide vaccination program will play an important role for foreigners to choose Turkey as a destination.

Turkey's tourism authorities, including the TURSAB, have recently asked the government to vaccinate tourism sector employees as a priority before the new tourism season starts.

"Our request ... was deemed positively by our government," Baglikaya said. "Therefore, until the beginning of the season, our industry will be ready to welcome our guests in all respects."

Turkey started its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program in mid-January with the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech.

So far, more than 13.6 million doses have been administrated as part of the campaign in the country, with a population of 83 million, according to the health ministry's latest data. Enditem

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