Last weekend’s Headline sponsor of CLIA Australasia’s Cruise Industry Awards in Sydney was Visit Qatar, a burgeoning destination for cruise visitors that late last year opened a state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Doha, in the weeks leading up to the World Cup.
The 24,000 square-metre Grand Cruise Terminal pays homage to classic Arabian architecture and is capable of handling up to 28,000 passengers and two mega-cruise ships, each day. Cruise passengers can explore an incredible aquarium within the terminal and a gallery that specialises in Islamic art.
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For the 2022/23 cruise season which ends in April, more than 50 cruise ships will visit Qatar, bringing with them approximately 200,000 visitors.
Located at the Port is the Mina District, one of Qatar’s latest tourism destinations featuring a diverse offering of restaurants and retail outlets. For international passengers, the Port is ideally situated within walking distance to iconic landmarks, including the National Museum of Qatar, Souq Waqif, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and the Doha Corniche.
Speaking at the Cruise Industry Awards on Saturday night, Richard Styles, Regional Sales Director ANZ – Qatar Tourism, said it was a “great honour for Visit Qatar to be involved with the industry so closely”.
- He said last year’s World Cup was a “fantastic exercise of showing what Qatar is really about,” and subsequently visitor numbers to the Arabian country have continued to increase.
Styles passed on a message of support to attendees at the event from Qatar Tourism’s Chairman, and Group CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, who wished all nominees, finalists and winners a “fantastic night and hopes to have them visit the destination soon.”
View more of LATTE‘s coverage from the 2022 Cruise Industry Awards on the links below.
Steve Odell inducted into CLIA’s Hall of Fame