Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that August marked the highest level of the year for cruise tourism in Türkiye. According to the minister, the number of cruise passengers visiting Turkish ports increased by 16.8% compared to the same month last year, reaching 357,646, setting a new record for the month of August in cruise tourism history. During the same period, the number of cruise ships docking at Turkish ports also rose by 15.3%, totaling 203 vessels — making August the busiest month of 2025 for cruise operations.
Between January and August, the total number of cruise ships visiting Türkiye increased by 16.6% year-on-year to 878, while the total number of cruise passengers rose by 18.4% to 1,416,398. When analyzed by port, Kuşadası Port ranked first in August with 84 ships and 162,316 passengers.
Istanbul’s ports followed with 41 ships and 109,453 passengers, while Bodrum Port hosted 22 ships carrying 27,575 passengers. Other ports received 56 ships and welcomed 58,302 passengers in total. Throughout the January–August period, Kuşadası Port maintained its leading position with 400 ships and 679,246 cruise passengers. Istanbul’s ports welcomed 410,577 passengers, while Bodrum hosted 95,122 cruise tourists.
These record-breaking figures highlight the growing potential of tourism and especially tourist guiding activities related to cruise tourism. Tour guides and tourism professionals can benefit from this increase by focusing on destination promotion, cultural walking tours in port cities, and cruise-connected excursion programs.
Source: https://www.ntv.com.tr/ntvpara/kruvaziyer-turizminde-agustosta-rekor-kirildi,Y-mGPI_l3keZujlR7U-Z5A
