Qatar welcomes over 53 cruise ships, 191,944passengers this season

Published: 4 February 2025

Visitors from Germany account for 30.2%, followed by Russia at 10.8% and Italy at 9.2%

Qatar News Agency
Doha
Qatar Tourism has announced that during the first half of the 2024/2025 cruise season, Qatar welcomed over 53 cruise ships, bringing 191,944 cruise passengers to the country’s shores.

This includes 20,951 turnaround passengers who have used Doha as a starting point for their cruise journeys.

In a statement, Qatar Tourism said that this remarkable mid-season (until January 20) success for the 2024/2025 cruise season, reaffirms the State of Qatar’s position as a growing hub for cruise tourism in the GCC region.

It added that to date, visitors from Germany lead arrival figures with (30.2 percent), followed by Russia at (10.8 percent) and Italy at (9.2 percent). The top 10 nationalities collectively account for 69.2 percent of the total number of passengers.

Qatar Tourism said that this season was further enriched by the arrival of four new cruise ships visiting Doha for the first time including Resorts World One, MSC Euribia, Celestyal Journey, and Costa Smeralda.
Additionally, Norwegian Sky is expected to call on 12 April 2025. Costa Smeralda, ranked the 8th largest cruise ship in the world scheduled to make 10 calls this season, bringing an estimated total of 82,000 passengers.

The cruise industry has become a cornerstone of Qatar’s national tourism strategy, experiencing remarkable growth in recent years.

Doha Port’s strategic location in the heart of the city allows visitors to maximize their short stays.