It was a historic moment for Doha Port on Wednesday when Costa Diadema, the largest cruise ship flying the Italian flag, docked at the port. The arrival of Costa Cruises’ flagship marks its maiden trip and the first of 16 partial turnaround calls in which passengers will begin and end their journeys from Qatar. Doha’s emergence as a turnaround port marks a major milestone in the development of the country’s cruise tourism.
Doha Port is playing a key role in reinforcing Qatar’s position as an attractive tourist destination through securing and receiving international cruise ships.
Last month a new cruise passenger terminal was inaugurated at Doha Port that will support the country’s strategy to develop cruise tourism.
Cruise passengers transiting through Doha Port’s new temporary terminal will experience the same level of services and facilities as Hamad International Airport including seamless immigration and customs, foreign exchange, taxi and bus stands, Duty Free Shops, café , waiting areas for cruise passengers and staff as well as city tours and other tourist information services.
As a result of various initiatives by Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and its partners, Qatar’s cruise industry has seen remarkable growth during the last few years. The 2018-19 season achieved 121 percent growth in the number of cruise passengers and 100 percent growth in the number of cruise ships, with over 140,000 passengers arriving aboard 44 ships, including 38 mega ships, which typically carry between 3,000 and 4,000 passengers and crew.
The 2019-20 season is expected to be even bigger, with over 186,000 passengers and over 61,000 crew arriving on 74 ships. Five ships will make their maiden calls to Doha this season. In addition to the 16 turnaround calls, it is also the first season where 9 ships will be staying overnight at Doha Port, giving the passengers ample time to explore the destination’s offerings. 45 ships are making transit calls during this season.
Qatar has taken raft of measures in the past to boost tourism, including allowing nationals of several countries to enter Qatar visa-free and free-of-charge.
As a result, Qatar became the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in terms of visa facilitation according to The World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) visa openness rankings.
Recently Doha was picked by The New York Times in their ‘52 Places to Go in 2019’ list. Doha also made into Forbes’ top 15 places to visit in 2019.
The measures taken in the past will ensure that the number of tourists heading to Qatar will only increase further.
