As cruise trips to the province were halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, no liners arrived at the port in Çanakkale for two years.

After the coronavirus-related travel restrictions were relaxed, six cruise ships with nearly 2,000 passengers on board visited the province since the start of the year.

Each passenger on cruise ships spends $60 to $80 on average when they visit Çanakkale, and the port charges 8 euros per passenger, Özkan said, voicing hope that more cruise ships might visit the province next year as the pandemic situation improves further.

Çanakkale is located between the popular tourist hotspot Kuşadası and İstanbul, which makes the province an important destination for cruise ships, said Evren Beceren, the commercial director of the Port of Çanakkale.