• China’s industrial sector posts robust growth in 2023

    Beijing, China--China has reported robust progress in its industrial development this year, marked by significant milestones in several sectors, according to the Chinese newspaper People's Daily Online. The nation's first domestically-produced large cruise ship has wrapped up its maiden test voyage, with plans for its official naming and delivery by...
  • World’s largest cruise ship all set to sail

    TURKU, FINLAND - With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the Covid pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard is putting the final touches on what will be the world's largest cruise ship. Royal Caribbean's luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard...
  • Cruise visitors to Qatar in 2022-23 rise 151 percent

    DOHA, QATAR -  New data from Qatar Tourism (QT) revealed that the country welcomed 253,191 cruise visitors during its 2022-23 season (Dec. 2022 March 2023), an increase of 151 percent compared to the previous season (100,500 visitors). This sharp uptake in visitor figures is particularly impressive given that this year's...
  • Saudi Arabia unveils AROYA Cruises to boost tourism industry

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia has unveiled its own cruise-line brand called AROYA Cruises to fuel growth in its tourism sector, luring 1.3 million cruise visitors by 2035. According to media reports, AROYA, though a part of Cruise Saudi, will run as an independent business unit. Its name was formed...
  • Qatar cruise tourism receives boost as MSC World Europa docks in Doha

    Doha, Qatar--Doha port received on Thursday the cruise ship MSC World Europa carrying 5,613 tourists and a crew of 2,121. They will be joined later by 555 tourists from Doha to a new itinerary to a number of tourist stops in the region. The cruise sector in Qatar has contributed...
  • US judge orders cruise lines to pay nearly US$450m for using Cuba port

    Washington, United States--Four cruise lines have been sentenced by a US judge to pay a total of nearly $450 million for having used a Havana port nationalized by the Cuban government in 1960. The ruling Friday by a federal judge in Florida requires the Carnival, MSC SA, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian...
  • Tourists, cruises, flights to Aqaba on the rise in December

    AQABA, JORDAN - The southern city of Aqaba is welcoming an increasing number of local visitors and foreign tourists of various nationalities, especially from Europe, in the winter tourist season. The movement of cruise ships to the ports of Aqaba and flights to King Hussein International Airport is also witnessing...
  • Third Saudi Cruise Season begins as MSC Splendida arrives in Yanbu Port

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--- Yanbu Commercial Port has officially kickstarted the third edition of the Saudi cruise season by berthing MSC Splendida, which arrived from Jeddah Islamic Port, marking the maiden cruise call for the current season that will run until May 2023. To celebrate the start of the new season,...
  • MSC World Europa, 22-deck cruise ship, docks at Doha for World Cup

    Doha, Qatar—The 22-deck cruise ship MSC World Europa (floating hotel) has docked at Doha Port for FIFA World Cup fans to relish the experience of a stay in the ship. The cruise ship can accommodate 6,700 World Cup fans. It designed with the highest standards of security and safety. MSC...
  • Qatar records 19% jump in international tourist arrivals

    Qatar has seen a nineteen percent increase in tourist arrivals with 729,000 visitors coming to the country in the first half of 2022. Qatar Tourism said that in June alone some 149,000 visitors arrived, marking the highest visitation in the summer month in the last 5 years. The month of...
  • Abu Dhabi Ports Group to build first cruise facility outside of UAE

    Abu Dhabi Ports Group has signed an agreement with the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) of Jordan to build a cruise terminal at Marsa Zayed in Aqaba. It will be the first facility to be developed by AD Ports Group in Jordan and its first cruise facility outside of the UAE....
  • AD Ports Group inks deal to boost Bahrain cruise sector

    Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has inked an initial agreement with Bahrain-based real-estate firms Diyar Al Muharraq and the Eagle Hills Diyar Company to explore cruise-sector opportunities in their home country. As part of the agreement, they are expected to develop and operate new cruise infrastructure in Bahrain.
  • Arrival of a ship carrying 1,200 passengers marks start of Dubai’s cruise season

    The arrival of the 252-meter-long cruise ship, AIDAbella, at Dubai Harbour on Friday marked the start of the cruise season at Dubai's seafront district. Carrying 1,200 passengers and 600 crew members, the ship's arrival also marks the official debut of the region’s most modern and largest, standalone dedicated twin cruise...
  • MAWANI signs MoU to build cruise terminal at Dammam port

    The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) has signed an agreement with Cruise Saudi and Globe Group to build a new cruise terminal at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam and four berths at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam and Yanbu Commercial Port. MAWANI said the move comes as part of its ongoing...
  • AD Ports to set up state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Jordan

    AD Ports Group will set up a state-of-the-art cruise terminal at Marsa Zayed in Aqaba, Jordan, after the signing of a Heads of Terms agreement with the Aqaba Development Corporation.
  • Qatar Tourism and Clia announce partnership

    The partnership should help Qatar broaden its appeal for visitors ahead of and beyond the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
  • Cruise liner sets sail from Saudi Arabia for first time

    Two days after Saudi Arabia unveiled its first cruise ship terminal at the port in Jeddah, MSC Bellissima, a vessel longer than three football fields, set sail for the first in a series of voyages.
  • Abu Dhabi announces resumption of cruise liners

      In 2019, 500,000 cruise visitors arrived in the Emirate’s ports, a 46% percent increase compared to 2018 Abu Dhabi Ports initiating several health and safety measures for passengers and crew The Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, has announced the resumption of cruise liners in Abu Dhabi starting...