According to a top official on Tuesday, cruise ship passenger arrivals to Turkey surged over 500% in February compared to the previous year, possibly setting a new monthly record. Abdulkadir Uraloğlu minister of transportation and infrastructure recently stated the number of passengers arrived increased by 509.3% year-over-year to 29,826.
“In February, we reached the highest number of passengers in cruise tourism in the month in question. We also broke the monthly record in January 2025. Breaking records for two consecutive months shows that Turkey has become a strong destination in cruise tourism,” Uraloğlu said in a written statement. The minister also provided information on arrivals by port and stated that the number of cruisers landing at Turkish ports has increased by 220% from the same month last year.
Turkish Ports have been exceptionally busy
According to Uraloğlu, seven cruise ships brought 10,656 guests to Aydin’s Kuşadası Port last month. According to him, there were four cruise ships that brought 9,743 people to the ports of Istanbul, four cruise ships that brought 8,484 passengers to the Port of Alsancak in Izmir, and one ship that brought 943 passengers to the Port of Akdeniz in Antalya.
Additionally, he pointed out that in the first two months of the year, 39 cruise ships and 62,512 passengers landed at Turkish ports, indicating that Istanbul was the most popular destination, receiving over one-third of all arrivals.
“Istanbul ports were the places where the most passengers and ships stopped in the January-February period with 24,257 passengers and 12 cruise ships. Izmir’s Port of Alsancak with eight ships and 16,485 passengers, and Kuşadası Port with eight ships and 11,559 passengers followed Istanbul ports,” he said.
Why do tourists visit Turkey?
Uraloğlu emphasized that the momentum in cruise tourism will continue, pointing out that Turkey’s historical, cultural, and natural richness have made it a popular destination on a global scale.
According to the minister, Turkey has emerged as a significant cruise tourism stopping destination since the Galataport opened and COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. “In 2024, 1,195 cruise ships and 1.89 million passengers arrived at our ports. This is the highest number of passengers since 2015. We anticipate that we will break a new record by exceeding 2 million passengers in 2025,” he concluded.
Source: Daily Sabah
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