In the summer period, the number of cruise passengers increased by 66.7% compared to the same period of the previous year. By the end of the year, the number of cruise passengers is expected to exceed 1 million.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu evaluated the data on the number of cruise ships and passengers anchored in Turkiye’s ports.
Pointing out that Turkiye is among the countries in demand in tourism, Uraloglu stated that this situation is also reflected in the number of cruise ships and passengers.
Reminding that tourist arrivals to the country increased with the start of the summer period, Uraloglu said, “The number of cruise passengers also increases in the summer period. The number of cruise passengers, which was 88 thousand 566 in April, increased to 176 thousand 840 in May.
“We expect the number of cruise passengers to exceed 1 million by the end of the year”
Underlining that they have been investing in cruise tourism for many years, Uraloglu said, “The contributions of our investments in cruise ports to tourism and the country’s economy are reflected in the figures. We predict that record passenger numbers will be reached by the end of the year. By the end of the year, we expect the number of passengers coming to the country in this way to exceed 1 million. I think this number will continue to increase in the coming years.”
Minister Uraloglu stated that cruise ships docked to Istanbul with the most popular tourism centers of Turkiye and said, “Kusadasi, one of the important logistics hubs, is at the top of these ports. This is followed by the ports of Istanbul, Cesme, Bodrum and Canakkale.”
Noting that these ports are very important not only in terms of tourism but also in freight transportation, Uraloglu stated that container shipments for export purposes increased by 8.6% in July, while transit container handlings increased by 46.3%.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz