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Türkiye welcomed more than 1.7 million cruise passengers in the first nine months of 2025, marking the highest figure in 12 years, according to data from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry’s Maritime Affairs General Directorate.
A total of 1,075 cruise ships docked at Turkish ports between January and September, up from 917 in the same period in 2024, while passenger numbers climbed from 1.4 million, the ministry said.
The last time Türkiye recorded similar numbers was in 2013, when cruise passenger arrivals also surpassed 1.7 million. The figure dropped sharply in the following years — plummeting to just 1,824 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 — before rebounding to more than 1 million in 2023.
Kusadasi on Türkiye’s western coast led the country’s cruise tourism this year, welcoming 493 vessels and 825,647 passengers. Istanbul ranked second with 207 ships and 495,186 passengers.
Bodrum in southwestern Türkiye received 117,985 cruise tourists aboard 96 ships, while Cesme on the Aegean coast hosted 45,863 passengers on 60 ships. Izmir welcomed 56,359 tourists arriving on 31 vessels, and Marmaris along the Turkish Riviera received 45,364 passengers from 30 cruise ships.
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