Marmaris expects 20,000 tourists from cruises

MARMARİS - Anadolu Agency

This July, Marmaris awaits the hosting of 20,000 tourists with cruise ships. AA photo

Officials say the western province of Marmaris is expected to have a very lively July, expecting to welcome a total of 20,000 tourists arriving in cruise ships.

According to information taken from the officials, Thomson Celebration will be coming to Marmaris five times this month.

A ship carrying mostly Lebanese tourists, Orient Queen, will be coming four times, while Zenith, which carries mostly Spanish tourists, will come to Marmaris three times. One of the largest cruise ships, the Aida Diva 2, will also visit Marmaris, while luxurious ship “Silver Spirit” also visited Marmaris for the second time this year.

The cruise ship first visited Kuşadası, carrying a total of 501 tourists from different countries and a total of 373 staff working on the cruise. The tourists visited the Yacht pier, Kordon Street and Atatürk Street, while also doing some shopping.

While some of the tourists visit the area, some preferred to visit the ancient sites and touristic areas in Marmaris. The cruise ship then left the area to go to the Santorini island of Greece.

According to the latest figures, cruise tourism in Turkey has shown remarkable growth this year. The number of passengers that came to Turkey in cruise ships rose by an impressive 108 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period a year earlier, while the number of cruise ships visiting Turkey showed a 76.1 percent increase. A total of 37 cruise ships with 58,329 tourists on board visited Turkey in the first quarter.