42pc jump in cruise ship calls at Muscat Port in 2016

Cruise ship calls at Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat soared to 149 visits in 2016, up from 105 a year earlier — a hefty 41.9 per cent jump that bodes well for the government’s ambitions to transform the facility into a hub for maritime tourism and leisure destination.

The steep increase in vessel calls also contributed to a strong uptick in cruise passengers coming ashore last year, the Port Services Corporation (PSC), which operates and manages the facility under a concession agreement with the government, said in a report.

Disembarkations soared to 249,497 in 2016 up from 176,300 a year earlier. Combined with embarkations, the figure doubles to a throughput of just under half a million passengers in 2016, according to the Corporation.

Corresponding disembarkation figures for the previous years were: 152,700 (2014), 160,658 (2013) and 183,443 (2012), largely reflecting an uptrend that has mirrored growth across the domestic tourism industry over this timeframe.

“Oman continues to grow as a popular and attractive destination for international tourists due to the continuous efforts and the importance being attached to the development of tourism-centred activities by the concerned authorities,” said PSC Chief Executive Officer Saud bin Ahmed al Nahari.

“Moreover, the Corporation continues to play its role in this development effectively by ensuring provision of high standard of services to the cruise vessels and its tourists,” he stated in a report analysing the company’s 2016 performance and the business outlook going forward.

The government’s tourism investment arm, Omran, is overseeing the implementation of the Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project, a multibillion dollar venture that envisions the redevelopment of the waterfront into an integrated mixed-use destination featuring sumptuous hotels, resorts, shopping and recreation facilities, residential components, and assorted tourism attractions. Phase 1 of the ambitious development was unveiled last November. While cruise calls rose sharply in 2016, total vessel traffic at the port declined around 10 per cent to 1,377 calls last year, down from 1,532 visits in 2015.