After three years, TUI Airways will operate charter flights to Muscat during the winter tourism season in 2023, according to details announced by AeroRoutes.com.
TUI Airways is a British airline, offering flights from the United Kingdom and Ireland to destinations and is regarded as one of the largest world's largest charter airline.
The flight (TOM494) from Birmingham will arrive in Muscat at 12.30 am on December 1, while the flight (TOM572) from London Gatwick will arrive in Muscat on November 30 at 10.50 pm.
The flight from Manchester (TOM262) will arrive in Muscat on December 1 at 12.50 am.
It may be noted that TUI operated a turnaround operation in 2019 when 900 passengers from the above-mentioned countries arrived in Muscat to join the MV Marella Discovery cruise at Port Sultan Qaboos while the ship left for the UK by the charted flight.
Recently, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) is conducting a study with an international company on the readiness of the ports of the Sultanate of Oman to receive more cruise ships and private yachts as cruise tourism has the potential to generate millions of riyals annually.
According to Haitham bin Mohammed al Ghassani, Director General of Tourism Promotion at MoHT, the ministry is working to make the Sultanate of Oman one of the most important destinations in the world to attract cruise ships by investing in the coastal areas of the country, spread over 3,165 square kilometres.
The Port Sultan Qaboos attracted 74 cruise ships and 149,000 passengers in 2022, contributing around RO4 million. These ships also contributed to the recovery of the tourism sector in the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman through various tour packages that were sold on ships.
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