Cruising full speed ahead

A 26 per cent increase in cruise ship arrivals is expected during this season, said a top BTEA official yesterday as the season started cruising ahead with more ships making port calls. Italian cruise ship MSC Lirica is the latest to touch Bahrain during this season which began with the arrival of Mein Schiff 4.

Speaking about MSC Lirica cruise ship which arrived in the Kingdom on 27 November 2018, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, the CEO of BTEA said, “The Italian cruise ship had over 1,990 tourists onboard from different nationalities.” MSC Lirica with eight trips and other vessels including the TUI Discovery and Thomson Celebration is also marking their debut in Bahrain.

A tour around the Kingdom was organised for the visitors to see some of Bahrain’s tourist attractions and learn about the Kingdom’s contemporary and ancient sites including Bab Al Bahrain, Al Fateh Grand Mosque, Bahrain National Museum. “These ships contribute in the arrival of multi-national passengers to the Kingdom and exposing them to its rich history and tourism offerings,” Shaikh Khaled added.