Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
YACHT<br />
Qatar’s <strong>2018</strong>/19 Cruise Season Sets Sail with<br />
the Arrival of Boudicca<br />
Simultaneous docking of mega-ships to happen for first time this seasonMajority of<br />
scheduled calls for the <strong>2018</strong>/19 season are mega ships10 cruise ships to make their<br />
maiden voyages to Qatar<br />
The <strong>2018</strong>/19 cruise season kicked off<br />
in Qatar with the Boudicca docking<br />
at Doha Port last week. The season,<br />
which continues until April 2019,<br />
is expected to see nearly double the<br />
number of cruise ships that arrived<br />
in the 2017/18 season.<br />
Of the 43 ships scheduled to call in<br />
Doha Port, 10 ships will be making<br />
their maiden calls to Qatar. And,<br />
with the majority of calls being<br />
megaships, this season is set to be<br />
the biggest yet for Qatar, bringing<br />
140,000 visitors to Qatar’s shores –<br />
nearly triple those that arrived last<br />
year. In addition to being the biggest<br />
yet, this season will witness a significant<br />
first for Qatar: the arrival of<br />
two megaships at Doha Port at the<br />
same time – an occurrence that is<br />
due to happen a total of five times<br />
throughout this season.<br />
Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman<br />
at QTA commented, “It continues<br />
to be an exciting period of<br />
rapid growth for Qatar’s cruise tourism<br />
sector, which will witness more<br />
firsts this season. We are pleased to<br />
see our local partners join in our efforts<br />
to develop services and products<br />
specifically for cruise visitors.<br />
They are an ideal complement to<br />
our partnerships with leading international<br />
agencies and we look forward<br />
to continue drawing a growing<br />
number of visitors to Qatar’s shores<br />
to enjoy the country’s pleasant winter<br />
weather.” He added, “These developments<br />
highlight the opportunities<br />
for investors to develop<br />
authentic and memorable experiences<br />
that reinforce Qatar’s position<br />
as a hub to discover.”<br />
QTA and Qatar’s major transport<br />
services provider, Mowasalat re-<br />
42