Home port is key to Oman’s cruise tourism industry
June 29: Oman’s burgeoning cruise tourism industry is upbeat about prospects of a home port for cruise liners being established in Muscat — an outcome that could potentially have game-changing implications for the wider domestic tourism sector, according a veteran shipping executive.
M C Jose ( pictured), CEO of Khimji Ramdas Shipping, by far the biggest player in the Sultanate’s cruise shipping trade, attributes this growing outlook to two principal developments: firstly, the expansion and modernisation of Muscat International Airport, and secondly, the conversion of Muscat’s Port Sultan Qaboos into a dedicated hub for maritime and cruise tourism.
“The vision of Muscat as a regional home port for international cruise shipping is nigh, thanks in large part to these pivotal infrastructural developments. With a fit-for-purpose cruise port now under design, complemented by a modern, highcapacity airport currently nearing completion, cruise liners will now have good reason to consider Muscat as a base for turnarounds and passenger exchanges — activities that have the potential to deliver ramped up benefits to the local tourism economy,” Jose commented.
Speaking to the Observer in the wake of the departure recently of the last ship of the 2014/2015 winter cruise season, the CEO said the domestic cruise tourism industry, while having grown exponentially over the years, must now make the transition from one-day port calls to multi-day turnarounds and passenger exchanges. This progression can only happen if cruise lines have the requisite incentive to consider Muscat — or any other suitable Omani port — as a ‘home port’ for voyage turnarounds, he noted.
“When a voyage starts or concludes in Muscat, the passengers arrive by scheduled or charter flights a couple of days earlier. They check into local hotels and do some sightseeing before joining the cruise ship at the start of the voyage. Also at this point, passengers concluding their voyage stay back in Muscat for a couple of days for some sightseeing before boarding flights home. This exchange of passengers takes place while the cruise ship is at berth for at least one or two nights in Muscat as its home port. And considering the size of a typical complement of passengers embarking or disembarking during an exchange, averaging around 2,000 guests per standard international-size ship, the benefits for local hotels and tourist establishments are huge,” Jose explained.
Dubai is currently the home port of choice for most cruise liners visiting the region — an appeal underpinned by its unrivalled ability to offer convenient flight connections as well as to speedily process large numbers of passengers through its airport terminals.
Oman’s ambitions with regard to cruise liner home-porting are modest in comparison, says Jose. “Our goal is to attract a small handful of liners to Muscat as their home-port. This will happen when the expanded Muscat airport, as well as the new seaport terminals, is fully operational. In fact, we have already starting marketing Muscat and Oman as candidates for home-ports to our principals.”
Last year, Khimji Ramdas Shipping facilitated the rare turnaround of a small cruise ship in Muscat in a successful exercise that underscored Muscat’s potential as a home port for cruise liners. Turnarounds involving internationalsize, 2,000-plus capacity ships promise significant business upsides for, among others, Oman Air, local hotels, tour operators, and assorted tourist establishments, says Jose.
But support infrastructure, while crucial, is not enough to boost Muscat’s appeal as a home-port candidate, according to the industry expert. “There must be a coordinated effort involving all of the stakeholders to address shortcomings in our overall offering to cruise tourists. For instance, we should earnestly look at developing coastal cruises of Oman targeted at international tourists. A local Omani shipping liner could be encouraged to look at coastal voyages that include halts in Dubai, Khasab, Shinas, Musannah, Muscat, Sur and Salalah.”
He further adds: “Sur, with its array of popular natural and cultural attractions, notably Ras al Hadd, turtle nesting, boat-building, Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands) and so on, can attract cruise ships if there is a jetty available. A basic 400-metre jetty with 14-metre water depth is enough for large ships to comfortably come alongside.
Jose insists that cruise shipping in its current format comprising day-long port calls delivers considerable economic benefits to a wide cross-section of Omani businesses and nationals associated with this industry. In addition to revenues to the port, beneficiaries also include tour operators, taxi drivers, 4WD and coach operators, coffee shops, eateries, supermarkets, shopping malls, telecom service providers and museums.
“A cruise call not only generates income for Omanis providing a range of support services, but also creates employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for citizens and sustains Omani businesses, all of whom are a critical part of the supply chain,” he stated.
Citing the findings of a poll of around 1,500 cruise tourists who had arrived on board a cruise ship at Muscat, he said that all kinds of Omani entrepreneurs and businesses benefited from tourist expenditure. For instance, around 800 tourists paid approximately $40 each for a city tour, while another 60 paid around $80 each for a Nakhl tour, and so on.
Other pursuits on offer included a 4WD Wadi Shab tour ($135 each), Al Khoudh wadi tour ($100 each), Afternoon High Tea at renowned hotels ($90 per person), Beach Break at hotels (around $100 each), Cultural Museum Tour ($50 each), Dhow cruise ($60 each), Dolphin Watching ($40 each), Nizwa tour ($90 each), Game fishing ($260 each), Muscat by Night tour ($70 each), Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands) tour ($135 each) and Muscat Walking Tour ($50 each).
“The beneficiaries include nationals who drive taxis and 4WD vehicles to supplement incomes earned from regular jobs, small bus owners offering their vehicles as tour coaches, tour guides trained by the Ministry of Tourism, and so on. Their personal interaction with tourists adds to the authentic Omani experience that makes a holiday here unique. Thus, in addition to the unique tourist product that visitors enjoy in Oman, in the form of the rich architecture, Arabian heritage and natural history on offer here, the interface with Omanis greatly accentuates this experience. In the upshot, these mainly first-time cruise tourists come away with warm and intense memories of Oman, which only serve to encourage them to return on extended holidays. This firsthand experience is also the ideal way to market and showcase Oman’s vast tourism potential.”