Outlook bright for cruise tourism season in Qatar

It is a matter of pride and joy that Qatar’s cruise tourism season (2018/2019) has taken off smoothly and continues with great momentum. As forecast by the National Tourism Council (NTC), this season is expected to be the busiest since the development of the country’s maritime tourism sector. As many as 43 cruise ships are scheduled to reach the Doha port this season which will continue until May 2019, carrying about 140,000 visitors, an increase of roughly 115% over the previous season when 22 cruises brought in more than 65% visitors.The season will also see the launch of 10 new cruise ships that will visit Doha for the first time, including the Queen Mary 2, which is more than 345m long and can accommodate about 4,000 passengers, including a crew of 1,253. Another indicator reflecting the momentum expected this season is the Doha Port receiving more than two giant cruise ships at the same time, an event that will be repeated five times during the same season, reflecting the port’s ability to deal with the growth of the marine tourism sector.The future outlook is also bright. During the 2019-2020 season, NTC expects that the number of visitors to Qatar through maritime tourism will reach about 200,000, and by 2021-2022 there will be 300,000 tourists. NTC believes that the marine tourism sector is an essential part in supporting the tourism sector in Qatar because of the geographical location of the country in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. The promising development in the maritime tourism sector is just part of the great shape the tourism sector in Qatar generally is in. This comes after the sector made great strides in terms of growth level after the activation of the national tourism strategy 2017-2023.Qatar has been able to make progress in tourism, becoming the most accessible destination in the Middle East and the eighth in the world. It has also entered the three best maritime tourism areas in the world, with a regular review of visa policy by its stakeholders, as it worked to exempt citizens of 88 countries across the world from entering the country visa and without the need to pay any fees.The series of visa moves led to increase Qatar’s ranking from 177th in 2014 to 8th in the world in 2018, a difference of 71.3 points between the two ranks. The first half of 2018 witnessed a remarkable growth in the number of visitors to Qatar compared to the first half of 2017. For example, the number of visitors from India increased by 18% and China (43%), while Russia recorded the largest growth rate of 366%. It was in late 2015 that Qatar announced a plan to ‘redevelop’ the Doha Port to receive more tourists and cruise ships. The quantum leap in the growth of cruise tourism is a stellar example of the ensuing success. The tourism sector contributes 6.7% directly and indirectly to Qatar’s GDP. If the trend is any indication it could be safely concluded that more growth is around the corner the country’s cruise tourism sector.