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MSC Fantasia's maiden call at Doha

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MSC Fantasia berthed at Doha yesterday. The ship will call six times in Qatar this winter season
MSC Fantasia called at Doha Port Wednesday, bringing over 3,000 passengers and over 1,300 crew members on its maiden call to Qatar.

The MSC Cruises' ship and is scheduled to make a total of six calls to Doha throughout the 2016/2017 cruise season.

This cruise season, which began in October 2016 and continues until April 2017, is expected to bring an estimated 50,000 visitors to Qatar.

Compared to last season, this marks an increase of over 1,000% in the number of cruise passengers visiting the country.

'Qatar’s cruise tourism industry continues to grow from strength to strength, thanks to the support and collaboration from stakeholders across the value chain,' said Hassan Al Ibrahim, chief tourism development officer at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).'

This year, we have focused on creating a supportive framework to allow the industry to flourish in the coming years, including measures to facilitate and streamline the entry of cruise passengers to Qatar. Next year, we will see further infrastructural development as the country embarks on the redevelopment of Doha Port into a permanent cruise terminal,' he remarked.

Gianni Onorato MSC Cruises’ ceo commented: 'MSC Cruises is committed to support the developing the cruise industry in this region and we are seeing a growing demand from our guests as they seek new and exciting winter cruise destinations. The addition of Doha to our itineraries will further enrich our offering to help guests discover the rich culture and heritage of Qatar as well as the wide range of modern leisure activities that Doha has to offer.'
 
Capt. Abdulla Al-Khanji, ceo of Qatar Ports Management Company, Mwani Qatar, said: 'MSC Fantasia’s maiden voyage to Qatar is the fruit of years of close collaboration between key members of Qatar’s developing cruise tourism industry. Along with our partners at the Ministry of Interior and Qatar Tourism Authority, we hope that the new measures put in place to facilitate the docking of such mega ships and smooth disembarkation of large groups of passengers, provide a seamless tourist experience for everyone on board.'

QTA and the Ministry of Interior have confirmed that cruise passengers, due to the short duration of the stay, are now eligible for the free 96-hour transit visas, which will further ease their entry into the country.

Other ships making their maiden calls to Qatar this season include Azamara Journey, Crystal Esprit, Thomson Celebration and Silver Whisper.