Record Cruise Travel: Türkiye Prepares to Welcome 2 Million Passengers in 2025!

As the first six months of 2025 have passed, cruise tourism has demonstrated a remarkable performance, contributing to the Turkish economy through foreign currency inflows, employment, and regional development. According to data from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the number of cruise ships calling at Turkish ports between January and June increased by 18.07 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 490, while the number of passengers arriving increased by 27.46 percent, reaching 732,302. Captain Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Camelot Maritime, said, “Cruise tourism contributes significantly to the national economy in terms of foreign currency inflows and employment. We expect to exceed our target of 2 million passengers this year.”

Turkey has had a fast start to 2025 in cruise tourism. According to data from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the number of cruise ships calling at ports in the first six months of the year increased by 18.07 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 490, while the number of passengers increased by 27.46 percent, reaching 732,302. Camelot Maritime contributes to this growth with regular voyages on its own ship, the Astoria Grande, while also increasing the foreign currency inflow and employment that cruise tourism provides to the Turkish economy.

Cruise tourism provides significant economic activity not only in port cities but also in all regions visited by ships, providing shopping, food and beverage services, guide services, transfers, and accommodation. Passenger spending, coupled with increased demand for port services and related sectors, creates direct and indirect employment for thousands of people in Türkiye.

Captain Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Camelot Maritime, made the following statement on the subject:

The arrival of 490 cruise ships and 732,302 passengers at Turkish ports in the first half of 2025 is a historic achievement for our industry. As Camelot Maritime, we are proud to be a part of this development. By increasing our number of calls, particularly on the Black Sea route, we are introducing cruise tourism to Türkiye's northern coast, contributing to the balanced distribution of tourism revenues across the country. Throughout 2025, we aim to further increase both our calls and passenger numbers.

New Vitality in Cruise Tourism with the Black Sea Route

Captain Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu stated that they are contributing to the growth of the sector by investing not only in Aegean and Mediterranean ports but also in new routes in the Black Sea. He said, “We brought approximately 40,000 passengers to Türkiye on 46 voyages with Astoria Grande in 2024. We successfully completed our 16th voyage in 2025. The over 732,000 passenger numbers reached in the first six months of 2025 is an indicator of the rapid growth of Türkiye's cruise tourism sector.”

Çavuşoğlu also stated that new flights to Black Sea ports have revitalized the trades and tourism sectors in northern cities and contributed to the balanced distribution of the country's tourism revenues.

The 2 Million Passenger Threshold Will Be Exceeded by the End of 2025

According to data shared by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Türkiye's cruise passenger count is expected to surpass 2 million by the end of the year. Çavuşoğlu noted that numerous ports, particularly Kuşadası, Istanbul, and Bodrum, have demonstrated strong performance in cruise tourism, saying, "This target clearly demonstrates the current state and potential of Turkish cruise tourism. As Camelot Maritime, we continue our investments to contribute to this growth, aiming to increase passenger numbers through new routes and service quality. Exceeding the 2 million threshold will be a major gain for the country's economy and tourism."