Three cruise ships – Azamara Pursuit and Celestyal Olympia under the flag of Malta and MSC Lirica under the flag of Panama – moored off the coast of the resort region of Kusadasi in the southwestern Turkish province of Aydın, carrying 2,139 tourists and 1,800 crew members.

Some of the passengers, having disembarked, visited local attractions, including the ancient city of Ephesus, the house of the Virgin Mary and the village of Shirince.

Other passengers made purchases in the commercial part of Kusadasi.

Aziz Gungor, regional director of Global Ports Holding for the Eastern Mediterranean and CEO of Ege Port Liman, said that four more cruise ships carrying about 3,000 tourists will arrive in the region on Wednesday.