QTerminals, one of Turkey's leading commercial cargo and cruise terminals, has served approximately 59,000 passengers arriving on 48 luxury ships at the ports of Antalya and Alanya since the beginning of the year.
This year, Antalya, which broke records in tourist numbers, also saw thousands of tourists arriving on giant ships referred to as "floating hotels."
Since the beginning of the year, QTerminals has welcomed 30 cruise ships at the Antalya Port and 18 at the Alanya Port. Approximately 40,000 cruise passengers were hosted at the Antalya Port, while the Alanya Port welcomed 19,112 cruise passengers.
Özgür Sert, the General Manager of QTerminals Antalya Port, told AA news agency that they have experienced the most productive year in cruise tourism.
Sert emphasized that Antalya is a city that provides services in every branch of tourism and expressed the region's significant potential for cruise tourism.
Noting the substantial momentum gained by cruise tourism in the city, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, Sert highlighted, "It was much better than expected in 2023. We expect 2024 to be even better."
Sert mentioned that ships from various countries docked at Antalya Port this year, with a focus on hosting tourists primarily from EU countries, especially Germany.
Highlighting the high contribution of cruise tourism to the city and the country, Sert stated, "Cruise passengers have much greater purchasing power than other tourists. In this regard, their contribution to the country's economic development or closing the trade deficit is much greater."
"We use only 20% of the capacity in cruise tourism."
Sert stated that Antalya has the capacity to take a larger share of cruise tourism, with only 20% of its capacity being utilized.
"We have an 80% empty capacity. Being in the Eastern Mediterranean, if we capture favorable conditions, reaching 200,000, 300,000, 400,000 passengers is a matter of time. There is a significant potential both for our port and other cruise ports. There is no problem in terms of resources. Cruise ports in Turkey do not compete with each other. They are making serious efforts in collaboration to contribute to the country. The presence of cruise ports makes a significant contribution to the city. Hopefully, we will achieve even better figures," he added.