Doha

Island Sky, a Noble Caledonia ship, will be the first to dock at the Old Doha Port as part of the Cruise Arabia Alliance, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has announced.
QTA said the cruise ship is expected to arrive on November 18 after stopping in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The announcement comes as QTA and its counterparts across the Gulf Co-operation Council states intensify efforts to boost intra-GCC tourism through various avenues, topped by cruise tourism.
Cruise Arabia, a regional alliance established to create exceptional cruise itineraries that showcase the best of the Gulf’s landscape and attract tourists from around the world, includes Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Muscat, Dubai, Manama and Doha.
The Arabian Gulf is among the world’s top three winter cruise destinations where sunshine, majestic desert landscapes, and futuristic cityscapes meet.
“As we prepare to receive Island Sky we reinforce the message of collaboration delivered by the Ministers of Tourism and Chairpersons of Tourism Authorities in their meeting last week,” QTA’s chief tourism development officer Hassan Abdulrahman al-Ibrahim said.
“We expect this docking to mark the beginning of increased activity in the cruise tourism sector, especially as we gear up to host the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum at the end of this year,” he added.
Al-Ibrahim noted that intra-GCC tourism indicators for 2015 have been positive, showing visitors from the Gulf comprised 45% of total visitors to Qatar up to September with a 22% increase from the same period in 2014.
He said GCC residents and their companions make up 12% of visitors, amounting to 280,000 visitors up to the end of September.
Cruise line executives with government representatives and industry stakeholders from the ports, tourism, immigration and security departments will gather in Doha for the forum to discuss the future of cruising in the Arabian Gulf.