Cruise season begins

@kabeeryousef –

Heralding the cruise season this year, German liner Mein Schiff 6, anchored at Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ) on Friday.

With nearly 3,000 tourists and around 1,000 crew members onboard, the arrival of the liner has given a new awakening to the tourism sector and allied sectors, Muttrah Souq being the direct beneficiary, after nearly three years.

“We are overwhelmed to welcome the first tourist ship of this year as we have borne the brunt of the pandemic in the last two years and we are hopeful of making our losses good this year,” Mohammed Ashraf, a trader at the Muttrah Souq said.

For the visitors onboard the ship, it was ‘love at first sight’ as they were welcomed by the rugged mountains and vast, turquoise blue sea. They took a stroll along the Sea Road basking in the sun, clicking away at different angles, chit chatting with the people, haggling at shops and tasting the roadside delicacies.

“We are overjoyed to visit Muscat port because Oman is simply magnanimous and lovable,” said Georgina, a press photographer onboard.

On Friday, taxi drivers and tour guides were seen moving around with those tourists who got a temporary visit pass from the ROP while small shops along the Muttrah Sea Road, and most importantly, tourists swarmed the numerous shops inside the traditional Muttrah Souq.

“We are overjoyed to see tourists arrive on cruise liners that dock at the Port,” an Omani vendor at the Muttrah Souq said.

For German couple Annie and Frédéric, Oman is a perfect destination as a holiday tourism spot.

“The country is clean, the weather is awesome, and the people are marvelous in their reception to foreigners.”

Mein Schiff 6 belongs to TUI Cruises, a cruise line company based in Germany, which also operates Mein Schiff 3, Mein Schiff 4, and Mein Schiff 5.

Oman’s nearly 3-months long winter tourist season will witness nearly 300 visits of vessels sailing along the Sultanate of Oman carrying tens of thousands of tourists from different countries of the world.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism plays a major role in the development of this type of international tourism in coordination with the government and private sectors and international companies owning and operating these cruise ships.

The liners that dock at PSQ will also visit Dhofar and Musandam, and sometimes, more than once. In 2019, the Port Sultan Qaboos hosted 166 vessels, while Port of Salalah welcomed nearly 71 vessels, and Khasab Port 73 vessels.