Turkey's potential on becoming a cruise hub for the East Mediterranean Region: The case of Istanbul

Cruise lines seek for new markets in order to accommodate the growing demand for cruise tourism. In this context, East Mediterranean and Black Sea ports would be alternatives to the current cruise destinations in the West-Med region. However, the Black Sea and East Mediterranean regions currently do not have a hub port (or homeport) functioning as a gateway for cruise passengers. Based on existing cultural and social attractions, Turkey and Istanbul would be a potential candidate on serving as a homeport for the region. This paper first explores the general determinants and conditions to serve as a cruise homeport from micro, meso and macro perspectives. It assesses the potential of cruise development in Istanbul based upon the findings of in-depth interviews with cruise industry experts and local stakeholders. Furthermore, a port portfolio analysis of a range of selected regional ports in the period 2006-2011 is executed, and coupled to insights from the expert and stakeholder interview panel. As a result, the paper offers first insights into the potential application of port portfolio analysis for cruise ports, as well as policy and managerial recommendations for cruise industry stakeholders within the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with regard to the development of a homeport.