Officials from Turkish cruises industry anticipate a surge in maritime tourism in 2022, with more than 1.5 million visitors, particularly after world-renowned corporations re-added Turkish ports to their tracks following the opening of Istanbul’s Galata Port.
Galataport Istanbul spans 1.2 kilometres of the Karakoy shoreline and can accommodate up to three cruise ships at a time, as well as 500 cruise ships carrying an average of 4,000 passengers every year. The port can also accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships, and it’s worth noting that Galatport is the world’s first underground cruise ship terminal.
The new Galataport was finished in the fourth quarter of 2021, and it now services cruise ships as well as all passengers in Istanbul. Istanbul is become a popular cruise destination in the Mediterranean.
♦ Bosphorus Boat Cruise Tour – Dolmabahce Palace
Burak Caliskan, local director of a marine tourism company, stated:
“The start-up of service in Galata Port is a pivotal development for Turkey’s tourism sector. Istanbul is one of the most important cruise destinations in the world, and we look forward to seeing an increase in cruise ships to Istanbul. Istanbul has become a popular tourist destination for international tourists, meaning the capacity of other ports in the Aegean provinces will increase.”
Plans for 2022 have already been made pertaining to the Turkish Cruises , according to the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB), and more than 500 cruise ships are slated to visit Turkey this year.
Erkan Abitoglu, an official at TURSAB said:
“We expect a new era in 2022. We are waiting for about 1.5 million tourists on cruises for 2022, which will bring about $1 billion to the economy.”
The entire economic impact of cruise travel is projected to be $60 billion.