Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, has announced that Turkey welcomed almost 360,000 cruise passengers during the month of August – marking a new record for Turkish cruise travel in August.
A new record for the month of August
In a written statement, Uraloglu said: “The number of cruise passengers arriving at ports in August increased by 16.8% compared to the same month last year, reaching 357,646, breaking a record by reaching the highest number in August.”
The data, released from the General Directorate for Maritime Affairs, showed that the total number of cruise ships arriving at Turkish ports also increased by 15.3% year-over-year, reaching 203 ships in total. Uraloglu noted that August had been the peak for cruise tourism so far this year.
1.4 million cruise arrivals in eight months
Released data also showed that during the first eight months of 2025, Turkey welcomed a total of 1.42 million cruise passengers. This was an increase of 18.4% when compared to the same period of 2024. The data from January to August also showed that total number of cruise ships arriving at ports reached 878 ships. This was an increase of 16.6% compared to 2024.
The most popular ports in Turkey
Uraloglu also provided data on which Turkish ports had welcomed the most passengers and ships. According to figures, Kusadasi Port welcomed 84 cruise ships in August, along with 162,316 passengers. 109,453 passengers docked at ports in Istanbul aboard 41 cruise ships. Bodrum Port welcomed 22 ships and 27,575 people. Finally, 56 ships docking at other ports around Turkey brought with them 58,302 passengers.
International data shows that over 34 million passengers sailed on cruises across the world in 2024. With Turkey’s cruise appeal continuing to rise, industry experts are hoping that Turkey could attract just over two million total cruise passengers to its shores once the year 2025 has concluded.
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