Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, announced this week that a total of 360,000 cruise passengers arrived in Turkey during the month of August – setting a new record for total number of arrivals compared to any other previous August.
Uraloglu released a written statement in which he said: “The number of cruise passengers arriving at ports in August increased by 16.8% compared to the same month last year, reaching 357,646, breaking a record by reaching the highest number in August.”
The General Directorate for Maritime Affairs also released new statistics showing that year-over-year, the total number of cruise ships docking at Turkish ports in August had increased by 15% with 203 ships arriving to Turkey.
During the first eight months of this year, Turkey has welcomed just over 1.4 million total cruise passengers according to latest statistics, and an overall increase of 18.4% compared to the same months in 2024.
From January to August 2025, the number of cruise ships arriving at Turkish ports also increased by 16.6% when compared to the same months in 2024. Data shows that 878 ships have docked at ports throughout the country so far this year.
Official information shows 84 cruise ships docked at Kusadasi Port in August, making it the most popular port in Turkey with 162,316 cruise passengers enjoying time in Kusadasi. Data also shows that 41 ships and 109,453 passengers docked at ports in Istanbul. 22 ships and 27,575 passengers arrived at Bodrum Port. And finally, 56 cruise ships stopped at different ports around Turkey, bringing 58,302 travellers with them.
Travelling and holidays on cruises is continuing to rise in popularity around the world. According to international figures, over 34 million people enjoyed cruises throughout the world in 2024. Local industry experts in Turkey are hoping to see the country attract over two million cruise passengers by the end of 2025.
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