As Europe slides into winter, the Arabian cruise season has started with the Sultanate of Oman forecasting the arrival of 300,000 cruise tourists on 134 ship calls this winter - a record number. Alan Lam reports.
A strong growth trend is also apparent in Dubai. Its Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has forecast a total of 110 ship calls, bringing in about 381,500 passengers this season, as compared to 93 ships and 320,000 passengers of the previous season.
In response to the increasing demand of the cruise industry, the port of Muscat has this year changed from handling both freighter and cruise ship traffics to just cruise. The authority has moved cargo-handlingoperations to the port of Sohar, about 230 kilometres north of the capital city.
The first ship to call at Oman’s southern port of Salalahthis season was Seabourn Odyssey. One of this winter’s high profile arrivals will be Queen Mary 2.
While many parts of the Middle East continue to be mired in violent turmoil, winter ocean cruise is a thriving business in the Gulf region.
Besides keeping an eye on the wider geopolitical concern, one of the key issues facing the cruise operators in these parts is how to attract Arab passengers to their ships. At present only about 5% of cruise passengers arriving in Arabian cruise ports are of Arab origin.
The recent annual Gulf Cooperation Council cruise roadshow highlighted that Saudi Arabians, in particular, were yet to be convinced of the value of cruise holidays.It was noted that a significant number of them were not fully aware of the attractions of cruise holidays, which included the benefits of accommodation for children, entertainment and a stunning array of onboard amenities.
