Russian tourists discover the Black Sea with the ship Astoria Grande Cruise

Honest Holding expands its tourist cruise ship transportation network. The cruise ship named Astoria Grande, whose operation was added to the company, started its maiden voyage on 16 July, starting from the Russian city of Sochi and covering Trabzon, Sinop, Istanbul and Bozcaada.

Honest Holding, which was included in the tourism cruise ship transportation sector in the Aegean and Greek Islands with Miray Cruises’ ‘M/V Gemini’ ship last March, introduced its guests to the unique nature of the Black Sea with its new ship Astoria Grande.

Honest Holding Chairman and Paraguay Istanbul Honorary Consul Mr. Deveci Cengiz stated that they continue to invest in the touristic shipping sector and that the cruise ship Astoria Grande has started operating in our country. Deveci said that the ship made its maiden voyage on July 16, and noted that they have created a route that includes Trabzon, Sinop, Istanbul and Bozcaada, as well as the Russian city of Sochi, and that they will add the Aegean Sea to the ship’s route in the future.

Giving information about the company’s activities, Mr. Deveci said that they are a market leader company that brings guests from Latin America to Turkey, and in this context, they provide a very serious foreign exchange contribution to Turkish tourism. Mr. Deveci stated that they have a Signature group hotel chain, a bus fleet for land tourism transportation, congress and fair organizations, supply chains serving tourism in the fields of aviation, finance, food and beverage and construction.

FIRST CRUISE SHIP COMING TO BOZCAADA FROM RUSSIA

Adding that Astoria Grande is a Panama-flagged ship and that the ship is operated by Honest Holding, Mr. Deveci said that they carry tourists from Russia to Turkey:

“Astoria Grande embarked on its maiden voyage, starting from the Russian city of Sochi and covering Trabzon, Sinop, Istanbul and Bozcaada. We were transporting the tourists in Turkey abroad with the ‘M/V Gemini’ ship belonging to Miray Cruise Line, which serves in Greek and Aegean Islands with a capacity of 1000 people. This time, we brought together tourists in Russia with the unique nature of Turkey with Astoria Grande. Thus, for the first time, a cruise ship from Russia docked in Bozcaada, which is on our route.”

25 thousand tourists are expected in 3 months

Stating that Astoria Grande, which will visit different cities on the route determined with a capacity of 1350 people, will also make a great contribution to the country’s economy, Deveci said, “Tourists will provide a large amount of foreign currency input to the city economy with their touristic expenditures in these regions. Our tours, which will take place every week, are especially eagerly awaited by the people of the region.” Mr. Deveci stated that domestic and foreign tourists showed great interest in the ship’s first voyage and said that 85 percent of the 1350-person capacity is full. Mr. Deveci added that they had the opportunity to introduce the guests to touristic and historical places as well as sea and sun holidays.

“Our country welcomes tourists from all over the world in the summer months. Tourists, who come to our country mostly for sun and sea holidays, also want to get to know our culture and history. While creating the route of Astoria Grande, we also evaluated the historical and touristic places of our cities. We are very happy to introduce our country by offering an alternative to the tourism sector.”

THERE ARE 600 CABINS

Vedat Uğurlu, one of the partners of Miray Cruises, gave information about the specialties of Astoria Grande and the privileges it offers to its guests, and stated that the ship has a capacity of 1350 people and 600 cabins. Stating that all the facilities of any 5-star hotel are available on the ship with A plus guests, Uğurlu said, “We offer our guests a unique travel experience with ultra-luxury concept private cabins, pool and SPA facilities. On our ship, which is active 24/7, our guests are waiting for fun moments full of special tastes of world cuisine, various shows and activities.” Uğurlu stated that with Astoria Grande, Turkey will be an important stop in the Black Sea touristic