The Mediterranean province of Antalya has hosted more than 30,000 cruise passengers this season, a port operator said Wednesday.
Huge luxury cruise ships from many parts of the world, including the Emerald Azzura, Spirit of Adventure, Seven Seas Explorer, Blue Sapphire, Club Med 2 and Riviera, docked at Antalya Port this year, its operator QTerminals said in a statement.
Özgür Sert, general manager of QTerminals Antalya, said only four cruise ships carrying 1,413 passengers arrived last year, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In comparison, Sert said 26 cruises brought in 30,641 tourists this season.
The Turkish Riviera resort welcomed more than 13 million foreign tourists from Jan. 1 to Nov. 15, up 48% from a year ago, according to the province's culture and tourism directorate data.
Sert stated the high capacity helps the port to play an important role in terms of domestic and foreign tourism in the Mediterranean.
Emphasizing that they are even more hopeful for the next season, Sert said: "We are expecting a high density at Antalya Port next year. We have already received many reservations for the 2023 cruise season."
"Tourists arriving at our port make Antalya tradesmen happy. In this regard, we will continue to further increase our contribution to tourism, the driving force of our city's economy."
