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Emerald Azzurra is the first to arrive in Bodrum this season

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Passengers disembarking the ship were were greeted with gifts and flowers as Bodrum Cruise Port celebrates its fifteenth year of service
Emerald Azzurra today became the first cruise ship to call at Bodrum this year, its passengers met with gifts and flowers to mark the cruise port’s fifteenth anniversary.

The ship arrived from Rhodes and will depart for Ege Port Kusadasi tonight at approximately 23:00.

74 staff and 75 passengers were aboard the Emerald Cruises vessel, their nationalities predominantly Australian, American and Canadian.

Record high passenger numbers predicted

Bodrum anticipates receiving a record high number of cruise calls and passengers this year. ANEX Tour’s Blue Sapphire alone will call at the port on 46 occasions bringing a total 60,000 passengers, as it once again homeports in the Turkish city.

‘As Bodrum Cruise Port, our goal is to host the world's largest cruise ships during the new season, as we did last season,’ said Aziz Güngör, director of East Med, Global Ports Holding. ‘There is great interest in Türkiye and specifically Bodrum. We host cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers from all over the world in our port.

‘We expect this number to increase even more in the new season. It is a great source of excitement for us to host the first passengers of the season in Bodrum,’ he added.

Operators in Bodrum in 2023

In addition to Blue Sapphire – which homeported in Bodrum last year – the city will host vessels from Emerald, Norwegian Cruise Line, Ritz Carlton Yacht Club, Seabourn Cruises, TUI Cruises and Virgin Voyages.

According to the cruise port, Virgin has selected Bodrum as the first and only Turkish port to debut on Resilient Lady’s itineraries this year, the ship scheduled to conduct 16 calls at the destination.