(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- With impressive year-on-year growth witnessed in the cruise tourism industry, Oman is steadily preparing to extend cruise operations to smaller ports in the sultanate thereby spreading the economic benefits deep into the interiors.
The lucrative cruise tourism season kickstarted early October with many mega cruise liners mooring at the Omani ports of Muscat, Salalah and Khasab.
To attract more cruise liners and increase business for the local tourism industry, the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) plans to extend cruise tourism to other ports, in Sohar, Sur, Duqm and Suwaiq. With the push, the ministry aims to take the tourists deep into Oman, showcasing the authentic Arabian culture as well as spreading economic benefits to the people in the interiors.
Currently, ports in Muscat, Khasab and Salalah are the three points where all the cruise tourism takes place. The number of visitors to Port Sultan Qaboos, Port of Salalah and Khasab port by the end of 2017 reached around 221,800, compared to 217,100 visitors in 2016, a growth rate of 2.2 per cent.
According to MoT, around 110,800 cruise tourists have visited in 2018. The ministry said it plays a major role in the development of cruise tourism sector as well as to promote the sultanate as a destination for cruise ships.
'In addition, there is a plan to work on the development of some ports to receive cruise ships namely, Sohar port, Port of Sur, Duqm port and Suwaiq port,' it said. Salem al Ma'amari, director general of Tourism Promotion, MoT, said that the tourism sector in Oman has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years and is considered one of the fastest growing sectors.
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