Bahrain has marked the start to the 2024/25 cruise season with the arrival this week of MSC Euribia on a 7-night roundtrip cruise out of Dubai and Doha.

More than 50 further port calls are scheduled during the coming season, which runs from December to March, with 12 cruise ships sailing itineraries that feature the island kingdom.

This makes the current season the busiest on record for Bahrain, which has traditionally featured less prominently in the annual winter cruise season in the Arabian Gulf.

Bahrain’s emergence as a regular port call in the Arabian Gulf cruise programme of ships homeporting in the UAE comes following its joining of the Cruise Arabia Alliance, a regular initiative to promote the region as a major cruise destination.

Sara Ahmed Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), commended the efforts of the Cruise Arabia Alliance, which includes Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Oman, in promoting the Gulf as a destination for international cruise tourism.

Buheji noted that the alliance has been instrumental in attracting major global cruise operators to the region, highlighting the upcoming arrival in Bahrain of a dozen cruise ships, including Celestyal Journey on her inaugural season in the Gulf, Le Bougainville of the luxury line Ponant, and ships from AIDA and MSC Cruises.

Buheji said these visits underscore Bahrain’s status as a leading regional tourist destination, offering diverse attractions to international visitors, including winter beach tourism, and organised tours to heritage sites, markets, and shopping centres, showcasing Bahrain’s distinctive cultural identity.

Around 100,000 cruise tourists from across the globe, particularly European countries, are expected to visit Bahrain during the coming season.

The wider tourism initiative Bahrain Festive Season 2024 features a variety of entertainment activities throughout December, organised in collaboration with the private sector, reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a premier regional and international tourist destination.

The upcoming 2024/25 Arabian Gulf cruise season, which runs from November this year to April, 2025 features 87 cruise itineraries departing from Dubai in the UAE, 34 cruise itineraries departing from Abu Dhabi, 41 cruise itineraries departing from Doha, Qatar, and 40 cruise itineraries departing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Three cruise ships homeporting in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha will include Bahrain in their cruise itineraries. MSC Euribia, AIDAprima, and Celestyal Journey will all make a dozen port calls in Bahrain during the season.