Galataport Istanbul Hosts the Last Cruise Ship of This Year

Galataport Istanbul, which transforms the historical port of the city into a world-class cruise port and a neighborhood of culture, arts, shopping and gastronomy, hosts the Viking Venus cruise ship with a capacity of 930 passengers. Arriving in Istanbul on the afternoon of 23 November, the ship will leave Istanbul on 26 November.

Galataport Istanbul, which has become the focal point of Istanbul since its opening, welcomes the last ship of the year. Galataport Istanbul has hosted a total of 1 cruise ships and approximately 8 passengers, including the crew, together with Venus Viking, as of October 7000, when the voyages began. Viking Venus, with a total capacity of 930 passengers, will dock at Galataport Istanbul today and stay in the port for 3 days. Viking Venus departing from Kusadasi will leave the port on 26 November to go to Piraeus Port, Greece.

Galataport Istanbul, which came to life as a continuation of Karaköy, makes a significant contribution to Karaköy and Beyoğlu in the micro target, and to the country's tourism, promotion and economy in the macro target.

1,5 million cruise passengers expected annually

It is expected that 1,5 million cruise passengers, including the crew, will arrive at Galataport Istanbul annually. According to the data of the Ministry of Tourism, a tourist who comes to Turkey spends an average of 62 dollars. It is estimated that the average expenditure of cruise passengers coming to Galataport Istanbul will be between 400-600 Euros. According to the 2018 report of CLIA (International Cruise Lines Association), a hop-on hop-off passenger spends 376 dollars in the main port city, and a daily passenger spends 101 dollars. These studies reveal that the visitors coming to the country by cruise provide a foreign currency inflow that is much higher than the average expenditure of the tourists in every country where the ships stop.

Galataport Istanbul Port Operations Deputy General Manager Figen Ayan is also the first

He stated that after the meetings he held with the MedCruise Union, for which he was elected as the Turkish president, they expected cruise ships to arrive in Istanbul intensively. Figen Ayan said the following about the positive results of the efforts to put Istanbul on the route of cruise ships with MedCruise Union, which represents the Mediterranean basin, which is the second largest market in the world, and the visit of the Viking Venus: “As Galataport Istanbul, we are pleased to host cruise ships. As Viking Venus is the last cruise ship of this year, we also think that it may launch on additional voyages that are not in our plans. We are planning to reach the passenger ship traffic in our port, which we have been waiting for years, in a short time. The dock, which we fulfill all international and national regulations, separated by a special cover system that is unique in the world, and our underground terminal, which is implemented for the first time in the world, are already under the lens of cruise companies. We have received nearly 2022 ship reservations for 250. We will continue to contribute to cruise tourism with our cruise ships that we expect to host next year.”

The coastline remains open to the public when the ship docks.

Galataport Istanbul transformed the historical port of the city into a world-class cruise port and brought innovations such as an underground terminal, a special hatch system, and a temporary bonded area to the industry. While the port is hosting the cruise ship, a special cover system consisting of 176 hatches separates the bonded area and the security (ISPS) area of ​​the part where the ship docks, creating a temporary bonded area. Thanks to this innovation, Karaköy's unique coastline remains open, except for the part where the ship docks and is separated by hatches. All kinds of terminal, baggage and passport control procedures of passengers are carried out in the world's first underground terminal.