150 cruise ships expected to visit

MUSCAT: Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat is expected to receive more than 150 cruise liners during the 2016-2017 cruise season, shipping agents in Oman said.

The first visitor at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat was vessel Costa Romantica on Friday. The vessel arrived at 8 am in the morning and left around 6 pm the same day.

Launched in 1993 as “Costa Romantica,” it is the second of the two Costa Cruises Classicaclass ships, together with Costa neo Classica.

The ship was last refurbished in 2012. Its public rooms are decorated with rare woods, Carrara marble, and millions of dollars in original works of art. The ship brought tourists from several European countries.

Officials said cruise tourism is picking up in Oman. “We expect around 152 cruise ships to visit the Port Sultan Qaboos this season. Besides this, a large number of ships will visit Khasab and Salalah during this season,” a leading shipping agent said.

Khimji Ramdas Shipping LLC, one of the largest shipping agents in Oman, said they alone will be handling 148 cruise vessel calls in Oman, which start from September 2016 and end in May 2017.

“In Muscat, we will be handling 102 calls and 23 calls in Salalah and Khasab,” an official from the company told Times of Oman on Sunday.

Officials said they are seeing a positive trend in the growth of Oman tourism. “Tourists see Oman as one of the safest places to visit in this region. Moreover, the exotic locations, which highlight Arab culture and heritage, are unique to Oman,” they said.

Travel agents further said the booming cruise tourism has now created a lot of employment opportunities for nationals. “From tour guides to nationals, who drive taxis and 4WD vehicles to supplement incomes earned from regular jobs, small bus owners offering their vehicles as tour coaches, and so on.”

Personal interaction between Omanis and tourists makes Oman unique among the Gulf countries.

“This first-hand experience of the citizens is the ideal way to market and showcase Oman’s vast cruise tourism to the world,” officials noted.