Muscat – Ninety-nine cruise ships are scheduled to visit the sultanate this winter season.

Abdullah Saif al Saadi, head of cruises and chartered flights in the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, informed that these cruise ships carrying thousands of tourists from all over the world will drop anchor in Oman’s three main ports in the 2021/2022 season.

Sultan Qaboos Port will receive 62 cruise ships, Port of Khasab 22, and Port of Salalah 15. The highest number of arrivals is expected in the October-April period.

The ministry has been collaborating with relevant government and private sector entities and cruise operators to enhance cruise tourism in the sultanate.

“In the 2019/2020 season, the three main ports saw tourists from all over the world. In 2019, Sultan Qaboos Port received 163 cruise ships carrying 660,295 tourists and 66 cruise ships carrying 263,587 tourists in 2020.

“The Port of Khasab received 70 cruise ships carrying 136,984 tourists in 2019 and 31 cruise ships carrying 125,110 tourists in 2020.”

The Port of Salalah received 45 cruise ships carrying 69,060 tourists in 2019 and four cruise ships with 1982 tourists in 2020.

After a gap of more than a year due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant disruptions in tourism activities across the world, Oman received the first cruise ship of this season on

November 17, 2021, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism informed.

The winter cruise tourism season began in the sultanate with the arrival of Mein Schiff 6, carrying more than 2,100 tourists to the Port of Khasab in Musandam governorate.

On November 19, Salalah Port received the Italian cruise ship AIDAbella carrying 1,104 tourists.

Passengers of AIDAbella visited popular archaeological and historical landmarks in Dhofar, including the Museum of the Land of Frankincense, Samharam Archaeological Park and popular markets in Salalah.

Oman recorded a 45 per cent increase in the number of cruise ship visitors from 193,000 in 2017/2018 to 283,000 in 2018/2019.

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