In Turkey, in the first half of 2023, a record was reached by the number of cruise ships and tourists who arrived in the ports of the country, said the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglla.
Uraologla recalled that the sphere of tourism around the world has been experiencing a difficult period in recent years. However, despite this, Turkey continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, the minister emphasized.
“A clear example is the constant growth of the number of cruise liners arriving at the ports of Turkey. Compared to last year, in the first six months a record was broken by the number of cruise ships who arrived in Turkey and by the number of tourists who arrived on these ships” – he said.
According to the minister, in July the number of cruise ships increased by 14.8 percent compared to last year. In total, 140 cruise ships anchored in Turkey ports in June, he said.
“The number of tourists who arrived on cruise liners in June grew by 58.2 percent, to 183 thousand 407. In January-June, 420 cruise vessels arrived in Turkey ports, which is 32.5 percent more than last year. The number of tourists in the indicated period increased by 88.8 percent, to 482 thousand 925, ”he said.