Oman looks to attract cruise ship business

Oman is in talks with several international cruise operators in a bid to persuade them to include the Gulf state in their routes as the country looks to boost its revenues from tourism, a senior official at the Ministry of Tourism has said. Tourism officials are talking with representatives from Royal Caribbean, Aida and Costa, Haitham Al Gasani, director of Tourism Promotion and Awareness at the Ministry, told Gulf News. “The cruise industry helps direct as well as indirect market growth in the country,” he told the newspaper. “We are talking to major players in the cruise industry - like Royal Caribbean, Aida and Costa - to convince them to come to Oman. “The cruise sector is important,” he added. “We now have a special terminal to cater to the cruise ships, their crew and passengers.\" He added that the government also eased visa procedures for cruise tourists. Now Oman gives 48-hour free visas to cruise passengers.” The Gulf state, which aims to attract 12m tourists to the country by 2020, will also increase its hotel room capacity said Al Gasani. “It is a simple rule of demand and supply,” he said. “We need to have more rooms to meet with the increasing number of tourists. Currently, we have 229 hotels and apartments that offer about 11,000 rooms.”