Ankara: The number of cruise passengers Trkiye welcomed in the first nine months of the year surpassed 1.7 million, reaching a 12-year high, according to data from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry's Maritime Affairs General Directorate.

According to Anadolu Agency, a total of 1,075 cruise ships docked at Turkish ports, an increase from 917 in January-September 2024. During the same period, the number of cruise passengers rose from 1.4 million. In January-September 2013, cruise passenger numbers also reached 1.7 million, but the figure declined in the following years, dropping as low as 1,824 during the pandemic in 2020, before recovering to over 1 million again in 2023.

Kusadasi in western Trkiye welcomed the most cruise ships and passengers in the first nine months of 2025, totaling 493 vessels and 825,647 passengers. This was followed by Istanbul, which saw 207 ships and 495,186 passengers. Bodrum in Trkiye's southwest hosted 117,985 cruise tourists aboard 96 ships. Cesme in the west saw 45,863 passengers on 60 ships, while Izmir welcomed 56,359 tourists arriving on 31 ships. Marmaris along the Turkish Riviera welcomed 45,364 passengers on 30 cruise ships.