The cruise season in Qatar for 2023–2024, which started last year, will come to an end in April when five more ships are expected to land at the Grand Cruise Terminal in Doha, which is housed in the Old Doha Port.
The ship MS Hamburg, which arrived at the port on March 10 with 263 passengers and 145 crew members, was the most recent arrival. It was the ship’s first call to Qatar. Under the Bahamasn flag and operated by Plantours Cruises, MS Hamburg is 144 meters long and 21.5 meters wide, with enough for 400 passengers and 170 staff members.
On March 31, MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship MSC Virtuosa is scheduled to dock at the Grand Cruise Terminal. MSC Virtuosa, sister ship to MSC Grandiosa, is the second vessel in her class and was built in France by Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
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Seabourn Encore, which is well-known for its opulent features, will grace the terminal on April 1. The Seabourn Encore is the epitome of luxury sailing, measuring 690 feet long by 92 feet wide with 300 suites.
AIDAprima, a cruise ship run by AIDA Cruises and flying the Italian flag, will also land on April 1. AIDAprima is a 300-meter-long and 37.6-meter-wide passenger ship with 18 passenger decks and 1,643 staterooms that can accommodate more than 3,300 people.
Artania is due to land on April 25 and Queen Mary 2, a British transatlantic ocean liner, on April 5, to cap off the season. Wärtsilä built the elegant and sophisticated Artania for Princess Cruises; Phoenix Reisen has owned the ship since 2011.
It is anticipated that 350,000 people and 79 cruises will be welcomed during Qatar Tourism’s 2023–2024 cruise season, exceeding the numbers from the previous season. This increase in cruise travel is more evidence of Qatar’s dedication to developing its travel industry and establishing itself as a top travel destination worldwide.
H E Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, the chairman of Qatar Tourism, had previously emphasized the strategic significance of cruise tourism in achieving Qatar’s goal of being a premier worldwide destination.
Forecasts from Statista, a German online platform that specializes in data collection and visualization, indicate that the cruise industry in Qatar has substantial room to develop, with revenue predicted to reach $11.77 million by 2024. Qatar’s cruise industry is anticipated to grow and change over the next several years due to a growing user base and a shift toward online sales.
Additionally, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR 2024–2028) of 16.35% is predicted for the revenue, translating into a projected market volume of $21.57 million by 2028. Furthermore, it is anticipated that by 2028, there would be 19.89k consumers in the cruise sector. It is anticipated that by 2028, the market’s user penetration will rise from 0.44% in 2024 to 0.71%. By 2028, the market is predicted to produce 29% of total revenue through online sales, with an average revenue per user (ARPU) of $0.99k, according to the explanation.
