CAMELOT MARITIME’s Farewell to Summer Event: ÇAVUŞOĞLU, Speaking at the Event: “We Will Break the Republic’s Record in Cruise Tourism”

Speaking at the ‘Farewell to Summer’ event hosted by Camelot Maritime, Chairman of the Board Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu stated, “When we look at 2023; our cruise passenger count, which was 88,566 in April, increased to 176,840 in May, 183,407 in June, and 209,033 in July. Last year, during the May-June-July period, 341,556 cruise passengers came to our country, while this year, during the same period, this number increased by 66.7% to reach 569,280. If the increases continue in this way, we expect to exceed the 1 million passenger mark by the end of 2023. This figure is a record in terms of our Republic’s history.”

Camelot Maritime, known for its efforts in the cruise tourism industry, concluded the summer season with the ‘Farewell to Summer’ event in the last week of September. The event brought together prominent figures in the maritime sector, leading names in the press, influencers, famous gastronomy writers, and respected business figures.

“WE ACHIEVED A FIRST IN TURKEY, OUR INVESTMENTS WILL CONTINUE!”

Speaking at the Farewell to Summer event, Captain Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Camelot Maritime, said that Camelot Maritime is the first company to operate a foreign-owned passenger ship in Turkey. Çavuşoğlu expressed great satisfaction with being associated with firsts and said, “As we approach the end of September, we wanted to close the curtain on summer with our ‘Farewell to Summer’ event hosted by Camelot Maritime. Since our establishment in 2008, we have been striving to add value to our maritime sector. We will continue our investments in the maritime sector in the future.”

“WE MUST USE OUR ADVANTAGES CORRECTLY”

Çavuşoğlu emphasized that Turkey, which constitutes one of the most important countries in the Mediterranean Basin, is in a very significant destination for cruise tourism. “We are a country surrounded by seas on three sides. We have pristine bays, beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams. All of these create an advantage for maritime tourism. We must use these advantages correctly. With investments, as emphasized by the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, ‘we must become a maritime nation, a maritime country.’”

“OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE 1 MILLION TOURISTS BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE CAN BREAK A RECORD!”

Continuing his speech, Çavuşoğlu provided the following information: “We see a significant increase in the number of cruise ships and passengers arriving at Turkey’s ports in 2023. The official data from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure show that the number of cruise ships and passengers arriving at our ports broke records compared to the previous year. When we consider 2023; our cruise passenger count, which was 88,566 in April, increased to 176,840 in May, 183,407 in June, and 209,033 in July.

Last year, during the May-June-July period, 341,556 cruise passengers came to our country, while this year, during the same period, this number increased by 66.7% to reach 569,280. If the increases continue in this way, we expect to exceed the 1 million passenger mark by the end of the year. This figure is also a record in terms of our Republic’s history.”

Emrah Yılmaz Çavuşoğlu, Chairman of Camelot Maritime, also added that the top 5 ports in terms of cruise ship and passenger numbers were Kuşadası Port, Istanbul Ports, Çeşme Port, Bodrum Port, and Çanakkale Port, emphasizing the importance of these ports for our country.