Kuşadası welcomes over 7,000 cruise passengers

AYDIN

In the first two days of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, six cruise ships brought more than 4,700 visitors to the Kuşadası district of the western province of Aydın on the Aegean coast.

Another 3,000 travelers also arrived in the famous resort town on the last day of the Eid holiday.

On May 2, which marked the first day of the Eid holiday, three cruise ships, “Star Flayer,” “Norwegian Jade” and “Celestyal Cristal,” docked at the port of Kuşadası, with a total of 2,570 passengers on board.

On the second day of the holiday, three more cruise liners, “MSC Lirica,” “Azamara Pursuit” and “Celestyal Olympia,” arrived in Kuşadası, bringing another 2,139 tourists.

Arriving tourists visited the House of the Virgin Mary and the ancient city of Ephesus, which are near the resort, shopped and dined during their stay in Kuşadası.

Yesterday, four more cruise liners, “Seabourn Encore,” “Sirena,” “Star Pride” and “Viking SKY,” docked at the port with 2,800 passengers, most of them American tourists.

“For the first time in six years, we welcomed four cruise ships at the same time,” said Aziz Güngör, general manager of Kuşadası Ege Port. Foreign and local tourists visiting the town during the Eid al-Fitr holiday greatly contribute to the local economy, Güngör added.

Güngör also said that during the month of May, 74 cruise ships are expected to visit Kuşadası.

Meanwhile, in Bodrum, another tourist hotspot in the province of Muğla, this season’s fifth cruise ship, “Costa Venezia,” docked at the port of the town, with 1,254 passengers on board.

During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, three cruise ships visited Bodrum, bringing a total of 2,562 visitors.