Istanbul eyes 1 million cruise passengers as traffic continues to grow
Galataport Istanbul Port Director Tolga Tuncay said the port expects around 200 cruise ship calls and approximately 520,000 passengers to visit Istanbul this year, adding that the long-term goal is to reach 1 million passengers through gradual growth.
The Turkish cruise sector continued its growth in the first half of the year. In June alone, 164 cruise ships arrived at Turkish ports carrying 24,793 embarking passengers. During the first six months of the year, the number of cruise vessels calling at Turkish ports reached 488, while the number of arriving passengers totaled 59,372.
Departing cruise passengers numbered 26,714 in June, while transit passenger traffic reached 249,368. For the first half of the year, departing passengers totaled 63,817 and transit passengers reached 633,236.
Kuşadası remained Türkiye’s busiest cruise port during the first six months of the year, hosting 204 cruise ships. Istanbul ranked second with 95 cruise vessel calls.Tuncay said Istanbul continues to maintain its position as one of Türkiye’s most important cruise destinations.
