Due to a lot of world-class attractions and safe environment, Qatar has fast become a tourist destination in the region for visitors from across the globe. Cruise tourism is also witnessing a boom as at least 14 cruise ships have made port calls at Doha Port from the start of the new cruise tourism season (2022-23), some of which were visiting Qatar for the first time.
It is evident that the industry is thriving once more and has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels with a solid start to the 2022–2023 season.
As regulations for cross-border and international travel have been relaxed, passengers returned and cruise tourism flourished both last year and this year.
The season will go through April and began in December last year. Over 200,000 cruise passengers in total are projected by Mwani Qatar and Qatar Tourism, which is more than double the season’s previous peak of 100,500.
With Qatar hosting the World Cup, there is no doubt that the goal can be attained as more tourists desired to travel here, putting Qatar on the map of the world’s tourist destinations. Approximately, there will be 58 cruise liners which will dock at the Doha Port by the end of the season.
Among the cruise ships which have made call to Old Doha Port are French cruise ships Le Bougainville, MSC World Europa, German cruise ship Artania, Italian cruise ship Costa Toscana, German cruise ship AIDAcosma, superyacht Emerald Azzura, and just recently yesterday, the Germany’s Mein Schiff 6.
With the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the country has been in the limelight for months. A Qatar Tourism official said that the cruise season had stopped because of COVID-19.
“But we’ve been working along with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), and our strategic stakeholders to make sure that both passengers onboard and the local community are safe – we overcame that challenge, and now we have cruise protocol that was announced and approved by the MoPH, and it’s being implemented since then.”
Last year, three floating hotels from MSC Cruises Group namely MSC World Europa, MSC Poesia and MSC Opera also served as floating hotels for visiting local and international fans during Qatar 2022.
From Thursday (January 19) until January 28, cruise passengers will also be treated with a spectacular view of vibrant hot air balloons as the third Qatar Balloon Festival is being held at the external green area of Doha Port, just in front of the Grand Cruise Terminal.
