Data released by the Transport and Infrastructure Minister of Turkey, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, shows that passenger arrivals via cruise ships to Turkey increased by over 500% in February 2025 when compared to February 2024.
29,826 passengers in one month – a new record
According to Uraloglu, arrivals via cruise ships reached 29,826 passengers in February, an increase of 509.3% compared to the same month last year. Uraloglu said: “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.”
Uraloglu highlighted Turkey’s increased appeal as a cruise ship destination with the number of cruise ships docking at ports across the country increasing by 220% compared to the same period last year.
Kusadasi Port leads the way for cruise ships
Uraloglu reported that Kusadasi Port in Aydin lead the way in popularity, welcoming seven cruise ships in February and amounting to 10,656 total passengers. In second place was ports in Istanbul that welcomed four cruise ships and a total of 9,743 passengers.
8,484 passengers arrive via four cruise ships at Izmir’s Port of Alsancak, and finally one cruise ship and 943 passengers arrived in Antalya at the Port of Akdeniz. A total of 39 ships and 62,512 passengers arrived at ports across Turkey during the first two months of the year.
High expectations in place for 2025
Following the lifting of COVID-19 measures internationally and the opening of Galataport in Istanbul, Turkey has become one of the leading stopover points for cruise tourism across the globe.
Uraloglu noted that Turkey is increasingly popular for its historical and natural riches, stating that gained momentum is expected to continue throughout 2025. He finished by saying: “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.”
Fethiye 
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