Cruise tourism is back with a vengeance, and there is one ship for another calling the main ports of the Sultanate of Oman, mainly the Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ) in Muscat and the Port of Salalah.
At the start of cruise season this year, Port Sultan Qaboos received AIDAcosma, which is visiting the region for the first time, with more than 5,800 tourists from different countries of the world.
With November-December being one of the peak months, there have been days when we had two or more ships docked at the port simultaneously, sources associated with the local cruise sector said.
Businesses at Muttrah Souq are thrilled with the return of the cruise ships to the city. “It is a fact that they spend less, but we must consider that local tour operators like me also benefit sometimes. Some visitors are not sure they will ever take a cruise again in life, so they want to enjoy the maximum and explore every port city where the ships call during their journey,” said Riyad, a taxi operator who also doubles as a tour guide.
“As there is a chance that these visitors may return to the city to spend more time in the future, the return of cruise ships to the country is very encouraging because Muscat is a gateway to the Arabian Gulf and what we offer them here is the first impression of the region,” said an antique shop manager.
Omani ports will receive, during this season, more than 200 cruise ships and yachts from different countries at Port Sultan Qaboos, Khasab Port and Salalah Port.
Ships such as Costa Toscana, Mein Schiff 6, Silver Spirit, AidaCosma, LeChamplin and Artania have been scheduled to visit the capital this month.
Over the years, the Ministry of Heritage of Tourism (MoHT) has been working on marketing plans for the cruise ships and yachts sector in coordination with government authorities, private tour operators, and shipping agents.
While cruise passengers come with full onboard packages, they also try to enjoy local food and culture during the ship’s port of call, which helps boost businesses of tour companies, restaurants, taxi operators and retailers selling local products.
In the pre-Covid era, the Sultanate of Oman received 283,000 visitors in the 2018-2019 period.
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