Viking Orion: Season's first cruise ship calls at Muscat port

MUSCAT: With the arrival of the first cruise vessel of the season, Viking Orion, at the Port Sultan Qaboos, traders at Muttrah Souq are upbeat about the upcoming tourism season. The vessel with mostly European coutnries arrived at Muscat before a halt in Salalah on Monday. With Oman’s new visa rules for cruise ship visitors, tourists can visit the port cities of Muscat, Salalah and Musandam with a single visa. Around 221,000 visitors came to Oman by sea in 2017, compared to 217,000 in 2016. [gallery size='full' ids='485327']