CRUISING ALONG.

Byline: Aftab H. Kola 

IN a determined bid to boost tourism in line with the Ministry of TourismEoe1/4aos set goal of attracting 30 million visitors by the year 2020 and making tourism one of the biggest contributors to OmanEoe1/4aos GDP within the next 11 years, a sophisticated cruise terminal will be inaugurated at Port Sultan Qaboos in the immediate future. According to sources in the Tourism Ministry, the inauguration will take place either in December or in the first quarter of 2010.

According to officials at Port Services Corporation, Port Sultan Qaboos, Eoe1/4EoThe new terminal will ensure fast and trouble-free handling of cruise liners as well as offer tourists and passengers comfort, service and safety.Eoe1/4A[yen]

The new terminal will have shopping arcade, duty-free shopping, Omani handicrafts store managed by PACI, cyber cafEa and such other facilities.

The winter cruise season took off with the arrival of luxury passenger liner Dawn Princess on September 21 in Muscat. Ranked among the mega-liners of modern-day luxury cruise travel, the 77,000-tonne Dawn Princess called at Port Sultan Qaboos from Safaga, an Egyptian port.

It may be recalled here that the Port Services Corporation (PSC), which operates and manages Port Sultan Qaboos, recently won an award in recognition of the superior quality of its services to the cruise shipping industry.

The award was presented by the internationally-recognised magazine, Dream World Cruise Destinations, on the sidelines of the Sea Trade Cruise Conference and Exhibition held in Miami, USA recently.

BUSY SCHEDULE

The port in fact has a busy schedule ahead. According to information available with the Port Services Corporation, 17 cruise liners will call on Muscat ports in November and 21 in December. Another eighty-five cruise ships are expected to visit Muscat in the first quarter of 2010. Royal CaribbeanEoe1/4aos Brilliance of the Sea will call on Muscat on February 24, 2010. Queen Mary II, the most prestigious cruise liner in the world, will also come visiting in the coming months.

Oman with stunning sights and representing an authentic slice of Arabia is now seeking its share of the global cruise tourism, which is estimated at $14 billion and engages some 300 ships and is patronised by 10 million customers. A total of 84 cruise liners called on Muscat during 2008, registering an impressive 33 per cent increase over the previous year. Major cruise companies whose ships came to Muscat in 2008 include Costa, AIDA, Seabourne Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd and Silversea, and Transocean Tours (Astor).

The number of tourists visiting the country too registered a dramatic jump, a 54.8 per cent climb to 138,926 passengers in 2008, from the 89,721 in 2007. Salalah, an equally important stopover for international cruise liners, attracted 40 vessels in 2008 compared to 28 in 2007, marking an increase of 43 per cent.

To give the cruise sector a fillip, different departments and agencies are now putting in collective efforts to organise the show, which can generate massive revenue and employment. While Port Services and Ministry of Transportation and Communication have done their part in providing a separate terminal building with world-class facilities, the Ministry of Tourism is engaged in promoting cruise tourism locally and internationally in an organised way. Added to this are the ground-handlers who offer cruise liners various services like vessel clearance, passenger clearance, shuttle services, embarkation and disembarkation (of passengers and crew), bilingual staff, medical assistance for passengers and crew, repatriation of passengers and crew, security fencing and guards, missing luggage tracking and delivery, coordination with ROP, immigration, customs, health, Port Authority and various other government authorities related to cruise vessels port call. Then there are the tourist operators who take passengers after disembarkment for sightseeing.

Though Middle East is still considered a virgin market for cruise tourism, it is expected that the number of cruise travellers from Oman will certainly pick up with the opening of the cruise terminal.

Also, other ports in the Gulf region are getting ready to welcome Brilliance of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International Eoe1/4" the worldEoe1/4aos largest global and most innovative cruise company. There is a high degree of cooperation flowing from this, especially with the UAE. Brilliance of the Seas is first scheduled to dock in its home port of Dubai on January 18, 2010 followed by calls at Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, marking Royal Caribbean InternationalEoe1/4aos official entry into Middle Eastern market.

An official at the Oman Ministry of Tourism, stated: Eoe1/4EoThe number of ships docking in Oman in 2010 will increase by 40 per cent compared to 2009. The arrival of Brilliance of the Seas and the engagement of Royal Caribbean International in the region will add a new dimension to the tourism industry in Oman. Muscat Port has invested in the cruise industry by building a brand new cruise terminal. This terminal will surpass international standards and we are confident it will become an impressive new gateway for the future of tourism in the country.Eoe1/4A[yen]

According to sources, the Tourism Ministry, Ports Corporation, Oman-based ground-handlers and tour companies are working cohesively to attract more visits, and already a number of cruise liners have indicated major increases in arrivals, especially Costa Cruises. The Tourism Ministry is also working on a cruise ship strategy that aims to increase the yield from this activity. Companies like Hapag-Lloyd which operate smaller cruise vessels that need minimal support are now discovering Khasab and Musandam as key destinations.

ICONIC ATTRACTIONS

According to an official in the Tourism Ministry, Eoe1/4EoOmanEoe1/4aos international market positioning as an authentic Arabian destination can provide intimate experience that fits well with the marketing of cruise liners. Additionally, OmanEoe1/4aos tour companies have crafted very attractive day tours that are valued by the cruise liners. The Port of Sultan Qaboos with its views of the palace precinct and Corniche is among the most memorable ports in the world, and cruise ship companies see this as an icon on any Gulf cruise itinerary. The ministry is now looking to restore Mutrah Fort as another iconic attraction. The palace precinct is a major icon of Oman and is in stark contract to the other berth locations elsewhere at Gulf cruise terminals.Eoe1/4A[yen]

The net economic benefits of cruise activity have been studied in a number of jurisdictions. A recent industry study estimated the net economic contribution of day visits for large to small sized ships (fuel, visitor spend) varied between $2 million and $0.8 million per day.

Another comparison is that a large cruise ship approximates the equivalent of four B747s arriving on a day. Net contributions increase markedly when passenger and crew exchanges take place, and when ship is operated from a port. Ground-handling is an important aspect of cruise activity.

One of the main ground-handlers is Khimji Ramdas Shipping LLC, which represent as agents in Omani ports for Costa Crociere and AIDA Cruises; Silversea Cruises managed by V. Ships Leisure, Phoenix Reisen managed by V. Ships Leisure, All Leisure Group Plc, UK, Delphin Reniassance, Germany.

Says M.C. Jose, Chief Executive Officer, Projects & Logistics Group, Khimji Ramdas LLC, Eoe1/4EoWe attended to 42 cruise vessels in Muscat from January to April, 2009 and are scheduled to attend to another 16 cruise vessels in Muscat for rest of 2009 until December end. This totals up to 58 cruise vessels calling at Muscat alone for the calendar year 2009. If taken into account on a winter-season-basis for 2008 and 2009, from November 2008 to May 2009, we handled 56 cruise ships in Muscat, which is the main tourist destination in Oman. For the winter season from November, 2009 to May 2010, we are scheduled to attend 67 cruise ships in Muscat.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Jose adds, Eoe1/4EoDuring the 2009/2010 winter season starting from September 2009 to May 2010 we are scheduled to handle 67 cruise ships in Muscat with approximately 150,000 passengers. We have developed a special team to attend to cruise vessels and fast ferries.

We also serve cruise ships in Salalah, Sur and Khasab. We are scheduled to attend 19 and 5 cruise ships in Salalah and Khasab, respectively with approximately 32,000 and 1,900 passenger movements.Eoe1/4A[yen]

According to Jose, Eoe1/4EoWe have to focus on attracting passenger exchange of regional cruise operators through Oman. Passengers will stay for longer period in the country if passenger exchange is done through Omani ports. Charter flights will arrive with new batch of passengers and the aircraft will take back the disembarking passengers. A good share of tourists will stay for longer period and take scheduled airlines for coming in and going out of Oman. Hence availability of more direct air connections to different countries is also essential.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC 2009

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