In H1 2023, Turkey hosted 756,455 cruise passengers, the highest in 16 years, with Kuşadası as the busiest port.
While the number of visitors reached the highest level in 16 years, Kuşadası became the busiest cruise port.
According to data from the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Turkey welcomed 756,455 cruise passengers in the first six months of the year, achieving the highest total for the first half of the year in the last 16 years for which data has been recorded.
The data reveals that Turkey continues to recover as a significant cruise destination following the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted global maritime tourism in 2020 and 2021.
Cruise passenger traffic increased from 55,817 in the first half of 2022 to 482,925 in 2023, and is expected to rise to 574,509 in 2024. The 732,302 journeys recorded in the first half of last year constituted the previous record level.
During the January-June period, a total of 488 cruise ships visited Turkish ports.
Kuşadası maintained its position as Turkey's busiest cruise destination with 204 ships, followed by Istanbul with 93 ships.
The ports of Bodrum, Çeşme, and Marmaris in the Aegean Region also ranked among the top five. These ports hosted 36, 27, and 20 cruise ships, respectively.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
