Oceania Cruises’ ship “Insignia”, which departed from Miami, the USA on March 23, docked at İzmir Port with approximately 600 passengers after stopping by Morocco, Spain, Italy, Malta, and Israel.
Passengers onboard left the ship after their temperature was measured as part of the Covid-19 outbreak measures.
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, Deputy Governor Hikmet Dengeşik, İzmir Chamber of Commerce President Mahmut Özgener welcomed the passengers at the port. Later, Soyer and Özgener entered the ship and visited the captain.
Some of the passengers will tour Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. Others will spend the day walking around the city. The ship will depart for İstanbul this evening.
“The goal is to meet as many tourists as the İzmir population”
Soyer, Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality, said that they had an exciting day.
Stating that cruise tourism gained even more prestige after the pandemic and that it is a sector that grows potential in the world, Soyer said, “It is our greatest desire for İzmir to get its share from this. If there was no pandemic, there was a process that we would have started earlier. Unfortunately, we had to wait for the pandemic.”. Soyer also said that 34 ships will come to the city this year.
Noting that İzmir did not get the place it deserves in tourism, Soyer said, “(Annual number of tourists) 1.5 – 2 million, figures that İzmir does not deserve. In the short term, our goal as the İzmir Foundation is to meet as many tourists as the İzmir population. In other words, 4.5 million is the number we aim for in the first place. It has much greater potential but it will be step by step.”
“This is a beginning”
Mahmut Özgener, President of İzmir Chamber of Commerce, explained the importance of these ships for İzmir’s tourism potential and said:
“A tourist group came today to visit 60 countries on 6 continents. We have important works to increase cruise voyages. At the end of this month, our team will attend the world’s most important cruise fair in Miami. We will attend the fair in Malaga in October. This is the beginning. We aim to increase the voyages more intensively and permanently.”
On the other hand, Hakkı Deniz, a Member of the Board of Directors of the İzmir Branch of the Chamber of Shipping, explained that ships have not visited İzmir for 6 years, first due to the “Arab Spring”, then the troubles in Turkey and then the pandemic.
Stating that efforts are being made for the return of the ships, Deniz noted that the opening of Galataport İstanbul in İstanbul is also important for İstanbul, İzmir, and Kuşadası destinations.