Muscat – In efforts to regulate the maritime sector and stimulate winter tourism, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) has issued 48 permits for yachts and cruise ships since October.

A statement issued by MTCIT said, ‘With the aim of regulating the maritime sector and coinciding with the winter tourism season, the ministry, represented by the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, issued 48 permits for yachts and cruise ships since the beginning of October 2023.’

As many as 85,092 tourists arrived at Sultan Qaboos Tourist Port, Salalah Port and Khasab Port in 2022. This year, a total of 100,000 tourists are expected to arrive in 142 cruise ship visits at Omani ports.

According to Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) data, Oman has welcomed more than 3.199mn tourists in 2023 – 41.2% more than 2022.

An official at MHT informed that the ministry is conducting a study with an international company on the readiness of Oman’s ports to receive more cruise ships and private yachts.

MHT has also formed a team to discuss challenges and prepare programmes that will see cruise ships and yachts make more trips to the sultanate.

In the past few days, Salalah Port has seen a flurry of activity with thousands of passengers arriving on cruises to visit Dhofar. According to MHT data, Salalah Port received four cruise ships with 10,826 passengers in October alone.

The tourists visited the popular markets and heritage sites of Dhofar, including the Museum of the Land of Frankincense, Samharam Archaeological Park and souqs in Salalah.