Oman looks set to almost double the number of cruise passengers and cruise ship calls during the current 2023/24 cruise season, on the back of a strong cruise sector recovery last season, […]
Viking Cruises launches new Grand Voyage through Middle East to India
Viking Ocean Cruises is offering a brand-new Grand Voyage from Barcelona in Spain to Mumbai in India, with several Middle East port calls among the destinations visited.
Oman considering new cruise port project as it targets pre-pandemic passenger numbers
Oman is looking to develop a new cruise port on its east coast as it targets a full cruise tourism recovery to pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
MSC Cruises looks to expand Oman shore excursion offerings at STC Global
MSC Cruises is interested in expanding the range of shore excursions on offer to passengers in Oman, where it calls regularly during the annual winter cruise season in the Arabian Gulf.
Dubai goes all out to attract cruise lines back to Arabian Gulf after pandemic
Dubai went all-out at this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global to encourage cruise lines to return to the Arabian Gulf following the COVID-19 pandemic, with 15 co-exhibitors and stakeholders participating alongside the Department […]
Regent Seven Seas’ 2024 World Cruise featuring Middle East sells out in just 3 hours
Regent Seven Seas’ 132-night World Cruise aboard Seven Seas Mariner, with port calls in the Middle East among 31 destinations, has sold out in just three hours.
Marella Cruises reveals winter 2021/22 itineraries with Arabian Sunrise cruise to Oman
Marella Cruises has released its 2021/22 cruise program, with sailings from Port Canaveral, visits to Manila, Philippines, Muara, Brunei and Da Nang, Vietnam, as well as an Arabian Sunrise voyage visiting Sri […]
Viking Cruises’ 2021/22 World Cruise to call in Oman and Jordan during 136-day voyage
Viking Cruises has released the itinerary for its 136-day World Cruise aboard Viking Star, with plans to visit 57 ports in 22 countries across the Caribbean, the Americas, Australia, Asia, the Middle […]
Royal Caribbean drops Oman call on penultimate roundtrip Dubai cruise due to Coronavirus
Royal Caribbean International has dropped Oman’s capital Muscat as a port of call on the two remaining roundtrip Dubai cruises of the 2019/2020 season for Jewel of the Seas due to concerns […]
Crystal Cruises releases shorter luxury itineraries featuring Dubai, Aqaba and Oman
Luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises has released ten new itineraries within its Crystal Getaways collection, which are shorter legs of longer voyages – typically four to ten nights rather than several weeks.
MSC Cruises 2022 World Cruise to include ports calls in Aqaba and Salalah
MSC Cruises has opened sales for its 2022 World Cruise aboard MSC Poesia, calling at 43 ports on five continents, including Aqaba in Jordan (the gateway to Petra) and the ancient port […]
Cruises to Saudi Arabia another step closer to reality with introduction of tourist visa
Saudi Arabia has taken the historic step of introducing a tourist visa for travelers from 49 countries, including e-visas and visas on arrival for citizens of the world’s largest cruise markets.
MSC doubles up Dubai cruises again in 2020/21 with Seaview and Lirica
In 2018 MSC Cruises became the first cruise line ever to homeport two cruise ships in Dubai simultaneously, and during next year’s cruise season, they will do it a third time with […]
Muscat cashes in on booming cruise market as Marella Discovery added for 2020
Port Sultan Qaboos, Oman’s primary cruise port in the heart of Muscat, received 72 cruise ship calls in the first quarter of 2019, according to the country’s Ministry of Tourism, while another […]
Costa Victoria cancels Salalah port call due to Cyclone Luban, runs for Maldives
Costa Cruises have cancelled a port call in Salalah for Costa Victoria due to Cyclone Luban, according to a statement from the cruise line. “Costa Crociere considers the safety of its guests […]
Cruise port focus: Khasab, Oman
The Norway of Arabia, Khasab sits amidst the glittering fjords of the Musandum Peninsula, surrounded on all sides by the dramatic Hajar mountain range.
Cruise port focus: Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the ancient capital of Oman, sitting amid a stunning mountain range it is a city of greenery and barren peaks, and is best approached from the sea as the sun […]
Cruise port focus: Salalah, Oman
Salalah is the quintessential ‘pretty Arabia’, surrounded on three sides by the Dhofar mountain range, with a coastline dominated by frankincense trees. It is the perfume capital of the region and the […]
Cruise port focus: Sur, Oman
Sur is a small town on the eastern promontory of Oman on the Indian Ocean, it used to be a major trading port and is home to historical sites and nearby attractions […]
Oman to re-develop main Muscat port into US $1.2-billion cruise waterfront
The Omani government recently handed over Muscat Port’s waterfront assets to Omran, the wholly government owned tourism investment vehicle, for the implementation of the ambitious Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project.