The AIDAprima has made her maiden call in Doha, Qatar. 

Officials of the National Tourism Council (NTC) and Mwani Qatar welcomed the ship on her inaugural visit which follows on an agreement signed between NTC and AIDA Cruises earlier this year. The two entities are also cooperating to build packages and special services dedicated to AIDA Cruises’ guests, in addition to joint communications, co-marketing activities and familiarization trips.

The vessel will continue to make regular calls through April.

Rashed Al Qurese from NTC, commented, “We are pleased to have one of the most established cruise lines operating in the Arabian Gulf add Qatar to its itinerary. In addition to attracting more megaships to Qatar, our collaboration with AIDA Cruises is helping expedite the development of the cruise industry in Qatar through joint promotion efforts, and so we are pleased today to welcome a cruise ship and a partner to Qatar’s shores.”

In addition, the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MOTC) is currently working on dredging and expanding its water front as part of a development project that aims to boost Doha Port’s capacity to accommodate larger cruise ships.

Dr. Saleh Fetais al-Marri, General Supervisor of Maritime Transport Affairs at MOTC commented: “The major redevelopment projects underway at Doha Port pave the way for it to become one of the leading cruise tourism ports in the region and help position Doha as an attractive cruise tourism destination. The Ministry supports the government’s steps to improve the country’s ranking as an attractive tourism destination as a key pillar for achieving economic diversification in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Along with calls from TUI, German passengers represented 40 percent of Doha’s cruise business over the 2017-2018 season, according to a statement.