CreatripTeam

Türkiye is emerging as a major cruise tourism hub. From January to August this year, about 1.5 million cruise passengers visited 18 main ports— the highest in 12 years. Cruise port calls rose to 878 in eight months, up 17% from 2024 and 56% from 2023; August alone saw a record 357,646 cruise arrivals. Many lines now use Türkiye as a home port, so passengers stay longer and spend more locally. Routes have expanded beyond Istanbul (Galataport) and Kuşadası (near the ancient city of Ephesus and the UNESCO-listed village Şirince) to include Çanakkale (Gallipoli and Troy), Trabzon (Sümela Monastery), Samsun, Marmaris, and other coastal destinations. Türkiye’s 8,000 km coastline, blending prehistoric sites, classical ruins, historic ports and warm hospitality, is being promoted with port upgrades and infrastructure investment to position the country as a new global cruise center. (Galataport: Istanbul’s major cruise terminal; Kuşadası: gateway to Ephesus; Şirince: historic village; Sümela Monastery: cliffside Orthodox monastery)