Cruise | Turkey doubles its share, new opportunities for Greek ports

• The cruise market in the Eastern Mediterranean is recording strong momentum, with Turkish ports capturing an increasingly larger share of the international pie, which creates new data and opportunities for interconnected approaches to Greek destinations. According to official data, Turkey, which held 5% of the global cruise market, is expected to double this percentage to 10% in the coming years.

2025 began with a record number of visitors for Turkish ports, aiming to host 2.3 million passengers by the end of the year. Already, 72 ships transported 101,650 passengers to 10 different Turkish ports in the first quarter of the year. In 2024, approximately 1,195 cruise ships docked in Turkish ports, carrying approximately 1.9 million passengers.

Turkey’s geostrategic location, cultural heritage, and port infrastructure make destinations such as Istanbul, Kusadasi, and Izmir particularly attractive to cruise travelers, according to Işın Hekimoğlu, Country Manager of MSC Cruises Türkiye. As she stated, for the first time, Turkish ports are included in the company’s winter program, while an increase in departures from Turkish ports is also expected in 2025.

It is noteworthy that many of these routes are combined with Greek islands and ports, such as Rhodes, Santorini, and Piraeus, creating a single tourism product for the Eastern Mediterranean. The increased demand from European and American travelers, who make up 80% of the customers of cruise companies such as Karavan Turizm Cruise, confirms the opportunities for joint promotion and development actions.

“We are planning approximately 100 arrivals in Turkish ports this season,” noted Özgü Alnıtemiz, Director of Karavan Turizm, highlighting the region’s potential.

With the international cruise market growing steadily at an annual rate of 7 to 10% and forecast to reach 38-40 million passengers by 2025, the Eastern Mediterranean is emerging as one of the most important players on the global map. The combination of Greek and Turkish destinations can offer a multi-thematic and highly competitive product, while strengthening local economies and tourism development.

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