Qatar’s traditional hospitality and authentic experiences have proven immensely popular with cruise visitors time and again. Qatar already provides a state-of-the-art cruise terminal and aims at building a strong relationship with international cruise lines in the run up to 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Recently, in Berlin, Qatar Tourism Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with the German AIDA Cruises and the Italian Costa Cruises, through which they will establish a partnership aimed at developing cruise tourism with Qatar. Costa Mediterranea will inaugurate Costa’s presence in Qatar with one call set on March 6, next year while the fleet flagship Costa Diadema will offer 16 calls to Doha during her seven-days 2019/2020 winter program.
The luxury AIDAprima is holding port bookings for eight calls in Doha during the 2018/19 season and will make several more calls in the 2019/2020 season. Between them, the two cruise lines will potentially bring up to 45,000 passengers in the coming season. The move further strengthened QTA’s ties with industry stakeholders to promote Qatar as an attractive tourism destination in the region.
“We are delighted to announce these new developments and additions to the fleet of cruise ships arriving at Doha Port over the coming seasons,” said Hassan Al Ibrahim, QTA’s Acting Chairman. “After the exceptional success of the last cruise season, this agreement is another step towards our target of 200,000 cruise visitors by 2020, and we are looking forward to work with our partners on the ground in Qatar to provide unforgettable experiences to each and every passenger.”
In addition, Qatar Tourism Authority also joined hands with DER Touristik Deutschland to further boost awareness of Qatar as a tourism destination and attract more visitors to the most open country in the region. The deal comes following a 22 percent rise in German visitors to Qatar in 2017 compared to the previous year.
Qatar welcomed over 65,000 cruise passengers last season, a 39 percent increase from the 2016/17 season. The majority of passengers were German and Italian. This notable growth is supported by the Doha Port Redevelopment Project, which will convert the port at the heart of the capital’s cultural district into a permanent cruise terminal and tourist destination in its own right. Moreover, next year will see the first phase of Doha’s new metro system come online and the much-awaited National Museum of Qatar will also open its doors to the public.
QTA is working with developers to ensure facilities are in place to receive two ships per day, and a new terminal is in the pipeline which is expected for completion within 2020. Significant efforts are under way to provide cruise visitors with smooth and seamless experiences at the port of entry and throughout the country.
