As cruise visits to its western and southern shores continue rising, Türkiye expects to exceed its 1.5 million cruise tourist target this year.
According to recent local media reports, numerous cruisers arrived in the past couple of days, in particular to the southwestern holiday resort of Bodrum, western Izmir province, along with spots including the Mediterranean tourist hub Antalya and Kuşadası district in Aydın, renowned for its popularity among cruise tourists.
As per data from the Directorate-General of Transport Services Regulation of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, some 906,582 passengers visited Turkish ports with 719 cruise ships in the January-August period.
Meanwhile, due to the increasing number of cruise ships calling and overnight stays at Turkish ports and the Eastern Mediterranean route ending in Türkiye due to the latest situation in Israel, it is expected that the number of passengers arriving by cruise ships will reflect on the set target of 1.5 million passengers.
Some cruise operators are diverting ships away from Israel, canceling their calls to the Haifa and Ashdod ports, said Yusuf Öztürk, president of the Izmir branch of IMEAK Chamber of Shipping.
“The cruise ships in question decided to come to cruise ports in Marmaris, Bodrum, Alanya, Kuşadası and Istanbul instead of Israeli ports on their routes,” Öztürk told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
According to the information obtained by the AA, the ships, including Holland America, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Celestyal Cruises canceled their voyages planned for this week to Israel’s Ashdod and Haifa ports due the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Recent reports indicate that four international cruise ship operators have modified their itineraries to include cruise ports in Antalya’s Alanya, Muğla’s Bodrum and Marmaris, Aydın’s Kuşadası, and Istanbul, resulting in a total of eight voyages. Within the scope of finalized reservations, more than 30,000 passengers are expected to arrive at Turkish ports in October on ships whose Israel route was canceled.
A separate report by AA on Wednesday indicated that some 2,741 tourists recently visited Bodrum via two cruisers that docked at its pier.
The 277-meter-long, Bahamas-flagged giant ship named “Resilient Lady” turned its route to the famed Turkish resort in Muğla province after it stopped by Santorini Port, bringing in 2,089 passengers, most of whom were American and British along with 1,150 personnel, as per AA reports.
Meanwhile, the 181-meter long, Marshall Islands-flagged “Sirena,” which first arrived in Alanya and moved onto Bordum, carried 652 passengers and 393 personnel, most of whom were from the U.S.
Bodrum, Kuşadası and Istanbul lead the list of the busiest ports this year, as per local media reports.
