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The cruise ship Aroya, operated by Saudi Arabia’s Aroya Cruises, arrived in Türkiye’s southwestern resort town of Marmaris with 2,684 passengers on board.
The 335-meter-long vessel, sailing under the Maltese flag, began its journey from Galataport Istanbul in June, which serves as its home port for the Mediterranean season.
Following customs procedures, many tourists toured Marmaris’ old bazaar, Kaleici quarter, and marina, visiting historic and touristic landmarks.
The ship is scheduled to leave Marmaris on Sunday evening for Bodrum, another popular holiday destination on Türkiye’s Aegean coast.
Aroya Cruises is the first Arab-owned cruise line and promotes itself as offering an "Arab-style experience," developed as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 diversification strategy.
The ship includes 29 restaurants, 20 entertainment venues such as a theater with nightly shows, a spa, two swimming pools, and one of the largest children’s play areas in the industry, with attractions including zip lining and mini golf.
Its itineraries cover the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, including Bodrum, Kas, and Marmaris in Türkiye; Mykonos, Rhodes, Crete, and Athens in Greece; and Alexandria in Egypt.
The ship offers six- and seven-night journeys along these routes.
Türkiye has recorded a historic success in cruise tourism this year. Between January and July, 18 ports across the country welcomed 1.05 million passengers arriving on cruise ships.
This marks the highest number of visitors since 2013.
July alone saw 326,450 cruise passengers enter Türkiye’s ports, the largest figure for the month in the past 12 years.
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