Regular winter services at Galataport Istanbul started in November 2024 with MSC. 55 thousand passengers were hosted on 25 trips between November 2024 and April 2025, and 52 thousand passengers were hosted on 21 trips between November 2025 and April 2026.
With the inclusion of AROYA in the system, 51 flights and 150 thousand passengers are targeted at Galataport Istanbul between November 2026 and April 2027. AROYA's share in this total is expected to reach 26 flights and 78 thousand passengers. Thus, compared to last year, a 143 percent increase in the number of flights and a 188 percent increase in the number of passengers in the winter period is expected.
This picture is important in terms of Istanbul going beyond the classical summer season and turning into a destination that can provide main port service to cruise ships for 12 months.
The new program planned by AROYA for Istanbul is expected to directly contribute to other ports of Türkiye. It is stated that the company's contribution to the Turkish cruise industry will reach 76 additional voyages, with additional calls to be made at Turkish ports in the program starting in Istanbul.
The new home port activity in Istanbul coincided with a period of strong cruise performance across Türkiye.
The number of cruise passengers visiting Turkish ports reached 1 million 70 thousand 481 in the first seven months of 2026. During the same period, 656 cruise-type passenger ships visited Turkish ports.
Traffic, which was more limited at the beginning of the year, increased rapidly with the tourism season. Cruise passenger mobility, which was 28 thousand 625 in January, increased to 314 thousand 26 in July.
Total mobility of 1 million 70 thousand 481 people; 192,461 were main port passengers and 878,020 were transit passengers.
Türkiye's cruise performance was not limited to Istanbul and Kuşadası.
28 ships and 78 thousand 319 passengers were recorded in Marmaris, 59 ships and 68 thousand 633 passengers in Bodrum, 35 ships and 66 thousand 398 passengers in Izmir, and 39 ships and 22 thousand 866 passengers in Çeşme.
This activity, spreading along Türkiye's Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea coasts, reveals that the country has reached a multi-centered destination structure in cruise tourism.
In Istanbul, this growth is expected to move to a different dimension with the introduction of new main port programs. The fact that Galataport Istanbul is preferred as the main port by international cruise companies during the winter season stands out as one of the most concrete indicators of Türkiye's goal of extending the season in cruise tourism to 12 months.
Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) carries out targeted promotion and marketing activities through the GoTürkiye platform in order to make Türkiye a strong cruise center internationally. These studies aim to increase the international visibility of Türkiye's cruise destinations and further strengthen our country's competitiveness in global cruise tourism.
Galataport Istanbul Port Operations Director Tolga Tuncay shared the following about the new program:
"AROYA Cruises' choice of Istanbul as the main port in the October-April period is a very strong indicator of the trust in our city. We started regular winter sailings at Galataport Istanbul with MSC in November 2024. This operation, which we continue with MSC in 2025, reaches a new scale with the participation of AROYA in 2026. There will be 25 sailings in the period November 2024-April 2025." We hosted 55,000 passengers on 21 cruises in the November 2025-April 2026 period, and we aim to host 150,000 passengers on 51 cruises in the November 2026-April 2027 period; AROYA's share in this total will be 26 cruises and 78,000 passengers. While confirming that it is expanding to all four months, it further strengthens our city's position as the main port in the Mediterranean basin. The impact of choosing Istanbul as the main port is not limited to our city. With the 25 new voyages planned by AROYA, AROYA's contribution to the Turkish cruise industry reaches 76 additional voyages. Considering that the number of cruise voyages to all Turkish ports in the first six months of 2026, the scale of the impact this main port decision will create is much clearer. "The table is a concrete indicator of how effectively Türkiye manages its cruise potential with the right infrastructure, strong collaborations and holistic route planning."
