Welcome to Qatar: This cruise season set to be the biggest, with 430,000 visitors expected
Published: 9 November 2024
Doha Ports cruise terminal is strategically located just minutes away from key tourist attractions
NT Bureau
Doha
Qatar Tourism (QT) has kicked off its 2024/2025 cruise season with the arrival of “Resorts World One” Cruise Ship.
This season is set to be Qatar’s biggest yet, with 95 cruise calls, including 33 turnaround calls, 11 homeporting calls and 4 maiden calls.
More than 430,000 passengers are expected between November 2024 and April 2025. This season will welcome notable ships such as Mein Schiff 4, MSC Euribia, AIDAprima, Costa Smeralda, Norwegian Sky, and Celestyal Journey, further solidifying Qatar’s growing status as a premier global cruise destination, QT said in a press release today.
Resorts World One marks the first maiden call of the season. It is expected to make 23 scheduled vis-its, with a total of approximately 72,000 visitors.
Building on the success of the 2023/2024 cruise season, which saw 73 cruise ships and over 347,000 visi-tors, the new season represents a significant milestone in Qatar’s cruise market. International world-class ships including MSC Virtuosa, Seabourn Encore, AIDAprima, Artania, Mein Schiff 2, Azamara Jour-ney, MS Riviera, MS Hamburg, and Norwegian Dawn have all previously docked in Doha.
Chairman of QT, Saad bin Ali Al Kharji said: ” The 2024/2025 season is expected to see a 30 percent in-crease in cruise calls and 24.5 percent increase in visitors compared to the previous season, reflecting the growing demand for cruise vacations in the region. With new partnerships and an increasing num-ber of high-profile cruise lines visiting our shores, Qatar continues to position itself as a leading desti-nation for cruise travellers worldwide.”
Doha Ports cruise terminal is strategically located just minutes away from key attractions such as the National Museum of Qatar and Souq Waqif, optimising the visitor experience by allowing cruise pas-sengers to make the most of their time in the city.
Looking ahead, QT plans to strengthen its collaborations with more international cruise lines, which is vital for driving further growth in Qatar’s the tourism sector and contributing to Qatar’s economic di-versification efforts.
