Latest news with #CelestyalCruises
Gulf Business
13-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Qatar Tourism's Omar Al Jaber on record visitors, strategic growth and service excellence
Image: Supplied Qatar Tourism is on a upward trajectory, closing 2024 with an unprecedented 5.07 million visitors — a 25 per cent increase over 2023 — and carrying this momentum into 2025 with over 1.5 million international visitors in Q1 alone. Backed by an integrated tourism strategy, the country is making bold strides in hospitality, culinary excellence, cruise tourism, AI innovation, and eco-tourism. With major milestones such as surpassing 10 million room nights for the first time, welcoming the MICHELIN Guide, and hosting globally acclaimed events like Web Summit Qatar and the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition, Qatar is redefining itself as a year-round, must-visit destination. Qatar Tourism and Visit Qatar showcased their offerings at at the 32nd Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, held from April 28-May 1, at a 600-square-metre pavilion that featured interactive digital experiences, cultural activations, and immersive showcases like the 4Dx Meryal Waterpark experience. Leading a delegation of 46 partners, including hotels and destination management companies, Qatar highlighted its expanding tourism portfolio and regional leadership in sustainable tourism — underscored by ATM's Sustainability Award for the eco-conscious pavilion design. Several high-level meetings took place with regional and international tourism leaders to strengthen bilateral partnerships. Qatar Tourism announced a major winter cruise partnership with Celestyal Cruises, expected to bring over 40,000 visitors, and launched a new twin-centre holiday initiative with Abu Dhabi's tourism authority. Visit Qatar also signed strategic MoUs with Huawei, flynas, and Satguru Travel to boost digital marketing, enhance regional air connectivity, and expand into African markets. We caught up with Omar Al Jaber , director of Shared Services at Why is ATM a key event for Qatar Tourism? ATM is a very important event for Qatar Tourism and for Qatar as a whole. It's one of the key exhibitions we make sure to attend every year. The event brings together different markets, segments, and stakeholders, which is crucial for us. We attend alongside our partners from the hotel and hospitality sectors, as well as destination management companies (DMCs). The goal is to enhance collaboration, foster networking, and ultimately create win-win deals between Qatari businesses and international partners. How was 2024 for Qatar Tourism in terms of numbers and highlights? The year 2024 was truly amazing for us. We reached 5.1 million visitors, which is a 25 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Nearly 48 per cent of those visitors came from the GCC, breaking another record. Hotel occupancy reached an average of 77 per cent, which is also a new high. The average daily rate (ADR) per night increased too — great news for the business. It's particularly remarkable because this comes two years after the FIFA World Cup, showing that we've maintained momentum. It also raises the bar for 2025—we aim to break records again. These figures reflect not only our appeal to international travellers but also the strength of our multi-access strategy via air, land, and sea. What's more, these milestones were achieved by diversifying our tourism offerings and continuously enhancing the visitor experience. It's a validation of our commitment to turning Qatar into a dynamic, year-round destination. In Q1 2025, Qatar welcomed over 1.5 million international visitors. What were the key drivers of this surge? Our performance in Q1 2025 was shaped by a combination of high-profile events, strategic partnerships, and targeted regional and international campaigns. Events like the Web Summit Qatar, the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition — which saw nearly 30,000 visitors and QAR246m in sales — and the Qatar International Food Festival, which attracted over 365,000 attendees, significantly boosted footfall. Additionally, Eid Al Fitr 2025 marked the highest holiday arrivals in three years, with 214,000 visitors during the eight-day celebration—a 26 per cent increase over the previous year. Service excellence is a key focus for Qatar Tourism. Tell us more about how you're ensuring consistent high-quality service across the tourism sector. Absolutely. Ensuring a seamless visitor journey is critical, and that's why we established the Service Excellence Department. This team focuses on various areas to raise standards across the board. We launched the Qatar Tourism Awards to encourage competition among hotels, hospitality providers, and individuals in the industry. The MICHELIN Guide also brought significant improvements to the restaurant and café sectors, making Qatar the second country in the GCC to host it. On the academic side, we offer regular training to frontline workers — hotel staff, airport personnel, customs officers, immigration staff, taxi drivers, safari operators, and tour guides. We update our training content regularly to ensure that the quality of service remains high and current. What are some emerging travel trends that you're seeing, and how is Qatar adapting to meet these changes? We're targeting a broad range of tourists — families with children, couples, leisure travellers, and more. We segment our target markets into three main categories, covering around 52–53 countries. Each segment has dedicated international offices that handle promotions, partnerships, and training programmes tailored to that market. Family travel is definitely growing. We've seen a marked increase in family visitors over the last few years. Qatar is also emerging as a popular destination for weddings — especially Indian weddings — which we're very proud of. How is digital transformation enhancing Qatar's tourism sector? Digital transformation is essential, especially in marketing. Our digital team leverages various tools like Meta, Snapchat, and chatbots for targeted digital campaigns. Traditional marketing methods like out-of-home boards are becoming less effective. Instead of random broadcasting, we focus on data-driven, targeted media strategies. This approach ensures that we reach the right audience in each market, which has significantly helped increase our visitor numbers. How important is the UAE as a source market for Qatar Tourism? The UAE is one of our tier-one markets — very important for us, especially within the GCC. Alongside Saudi Arabia, it's a key focus. We're not only targeting Emirati nationals but also the large expat population living in the UAE. Once the unified GCC visa comes into play, it will truly transform travel within the region. We also collaborate closely on cruise tourism. In 2023, we welcomed around 370,000 cruise visitors, many of whom arrived from or departed through Dubai or Abu Dhabi. This segment is growing and forms an important part of our broader tourism strategy. Any final thoughts? it's been a busy but exciting time for us at Qatar Tourism. We're proud of the progress we've made and are optimistic about what's to come. Our continued focus on service excellence, digital innovation, and strategic partnerships is paving the way for even greater achievements.
Trade Arabia
16-04-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Fourth edition of Cruise Travel Mart concludes in Dubai
The fourth edition of Cruise Travel Mart in Dubai concluded with representatives from 17 leading cruise lines and over 200 travel agents from the Middle East. The event, established since 2022, provided valuable industry insights, networking opportunities, and a closer look at the latest innovations. It emphasised the commitment of key cruise line representatives in the UAE to driving growth and innovation in the cruise industry, fostering confidence and collaboration among stakeholders. The event featured esteemed cruise lines including Albatros Expeditions, Celebrity Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Explora Journeys, Holland America Line, Hurtigruten, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea, Swan Hellenic and Windstar Cruises. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF CRUISE TRAVEL MART 2025 INCLUDED: A Dedicated Platform for Cruise Excellence: Cruise Travel Mart stood out as a niche event tailored exclusively to the unique needs and ambitions of the cruise industry, offering a focused environment for collaboration and growth. Unmatched Networking Opportunities: The event brought together over 200 influential travel agents—primarily from the UAE, with strong representation from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman—creating a powerful platform for relationship-building and business development. Boosting Brand Visibility and Engagement: Leading cruise lines showcased their offerings through immersive presentations and exhibits, spotlighting onboard experiences, new itineraries, and destination highlights. Spotlight on Innovation and Trends: Attendees gained firsthand insights into cutting-edge developments, evolving consumer preferences, and market trends shaping the future of cruise travel.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Celestyal repositioning cruises offer winter sun at 60 per cent discount
Celestyal Cruises has unveiled its latest repositioning cruise itineraries – letting passengers sail with the brand and enjoy winter sun for up to 60 per cent cheaper than usual. A repositioning cruise moves ships to their next homeport or departure base between peak periods. The itinerary typically has fewer stops as you are essentially staying on board while the vessel relocates for its next season but that is often reflected in the cruise fare. After spending the summer and autumn months in the Mediterranean, Celestyal will be relocating its ships to the Arabian Gulf for the 2025/2026 winter season. Passengers can come along for the repositioning and book a cabin for a new 14-night Ancient Athens to Amazing Abu Dhabi itinerary across the two-ship fleet. These voyages still offer several stops during the repositioning. The cruise line will also return to Egypt for the first time in two years, and will make its debut in Jordan and Saudi Arabia during these itineraries. Celestyal Journey will depart Athens on 22 November 2025, calling at Port Said and with maiden calls to Sharm El Sheikh, Aqaba, Jeddah and Muscat, followed by Dubai. Prices start from £857 per person for the 14 nights. If you can travel outside of peak periods, the repositioning cruise can work out up to 61 per cent cheaper than other dates and routes with the brand. For example, Celestyal's 14-night Mediterranean Icons cruise from Athens costs from £2,209 per person when sailing in May 2025. The repositioning is also 55 per cent cheaper than doing a 14-night Mediterranean cruise with Celestyal in August. There are also shorter options such as a four-night sailing from Athens to Sharm El Sheikh from £262 per person compared with a four-night Iconic Greek Islands cruise that would cost from £599 in May – a 56 per cent difference. The ship will arrive in Abu Dhabi on 6 December 2025, in time for the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. She then departs on her Desert Days and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sailing on 7 December, which costs from £629 per person for seven nights. Alternatively, Celestyal Discovery, which has just had a refit to add 47 new cabins, refreshed decor and a new Smoked Olive restaurant, departs from Athens on 28 November and follows the same route with an additional call at Kusadasi, Turkey. Cruise fares start from £795 per person for 14-nights and there is also a four-day route from £262 per person. The ship arrives for her maiden call into Abu Dhabi on 13 December 2025. Her inaugural winter season will sail three, four and seven-night Iconic Arabia itineraries, with the ship homeporting over the winter season in the Arabian Gulf for the next three years. The Iconic Arabia cruises start from £279 per person based on a three-night sailing. At the end of winter next year, Celestyal Discovery will cruise from Abu Dhabi on 6 March 2026 for its repositioning, charting the same return course and arriving back into Athens for the summer Greece and Mediterranean season. Celestyal Journey will depart Abu Dhabi on 21 March. Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said: "Last year, we committed to offering our guests even more destinations. 'Whether they are returning travellers or new to cruising, we welcome everyone with the warm hospitality that is at the heart of our heritage. Our tenth anniversary year will be bigger than ever, beginning with extensive renovations across our fleet and an expanded programme featuring two new countries, four new ports of call, and a long-awaited return to Egypt.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-03-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Greece's Santorini Welcomes First Cruise Ship after Quakes
Greece's tourism jewel, Santorini, welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on Sunday after thousands of small earthquakes in February created a state of emergency, forced thousands to flee and had locals fearing the season would be lost. Millions of tourists flock to Santorini every year, squeezing along its whitewashed cobbled streets to view its famous cliff-top sunset. The increased seismic activity - unprecedented even in a country as quake-prone as Greece - had prompted authorities to shut schools, halt construction and dispatch rescuers to the island. On Sunday morning, the Celestyal Discovery docked in the sparkling Aegean waters off Santorini with around 1,700 mostly American tourists on board, Reuters reported. Celestyal Cruises had taken Santorini off its list earlier this month. "It's exciting to know that the island's open again and we get to visit first," said 67-year-old Deborah Terry. Another passenger, Julie Eberly, said she was confident the island was out of danger. "We trust the tourism board here, so if they said it was safe to come, we came with open arms." An island of around 20,000 residents, Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history around 1600 BC. It welcomes around 2.5 million tourists every year and its economy depends almost exclusively on tourism. Locals said they were pinning their hopes on visitors returning to the island. "We all hope that things will return to normal, that people will come back," said Tassos Kontos, a shop owner. "The cloud seems to be lifting." No major damage has been reported on the island following the quakes, but authorities have said they will set up an evacuation port to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Greece's Santorini welcomes first cruise ship after quakes
By ANGELOS TSATSIS and STELIOS MISINAS SANTORINI, Greece (Reuters) - Greece's tourism jewel, Santorini, welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on Sunday after thousands of small earthquakes in February created a state of emergency, forced thousands to flee and had locals fearing the season would be lost. Millions of tourists flock to Santorini every year, squeezing along its whitewashed cobbled streets to view its famous cliff-top sunset. The increased seismic activity - unprecedented even in a country as quake-prone as Greece - had prompted authorities to shut schools, halt construction and dispatch rescuers to the island. On Sunday morning, the Celestyal Discovery docked in the sparkling Aegean waters off Santorini with around 1,700 mostly American tourists on board. Celestyal Cruises had taken Santorini off its list earlier this month. "It's exciting to know that the island's open again and we get to visit first," said 67-year-old Deborah Terry. Another passenger, Julie Eberly, said she was confident the island was out of danger. "We trust the tourism board here, so if they said it was safe to come, we came with open arms." An island of around 20,000 residents, Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history around 1600 BC. It welcomes around 2.5 million tourists every year and its economy depends almost exclusively on tourism. Locals said they were pinning their hopes on visitors returning to the island. "We all hope that things will return to normal, that people will come back," said Tassos Kontos, a shop owner. "The cloud seems to be lifting." No major damage has been reported on the island following the quakes, but authorities have said they will set up an evacuation port to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits. (Writing by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
