The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry have announced that Turkish ports welcomed almost 1.8 million cruise passengers during the first ten months of 2024. This data marked a notable increase of 27% when compared to the same period last year, as more and more cruise tourists choose Turkey as their preferred destination.
Large increase in passengers as well as cruise ships
Data released showed that the total number of passengers increased by 27% to reach 1.77 million in total. In a written statement, the Ministry stated that the number of cruise ships arriving to Turkey also increased to 1,112, which is 3.7% more than the number of cruise ships over the same period in 2023.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Abdulkadir Uralogu, said: “We continue our work to maximise the tourism potential of our peninsular country, and transportation and tourism are the two essential sectors for the economic and social development of our country.”
He went on to say: “In this sense, our ports are also of critical importance for promoting our cultural and touristic riches worldwide.”
Kusadasi announced as the busiest port in Turkey
The Minster said that the Port of Kusadasi, located in southwestern Turkey, had been the busiest port in the county. Port of Kusadasi welcomed a total of 501 cruise ships and 791,300 passengers during the January-October period. Ports in Istanbul received 184 ships and 402,200 passengers during the same period, while the southwestern town of Bodrum received 92 ships.
In October alone, 195 cruise ships docked at cities throughout Turkey, bringing an impressive 296,000 passengers with them. Of these total passengers, 137,800 arrived at the Port of Kusadasi, followed by Istanbul ports welcoming 64,500 passengers, and Izmir welcoming 24,500 passengers. The western province, Izmir welcomed 153,300 cruise passengers during the January-October period, making it the third busiest in the country.
Fethiye 
4 
4 
X