Sharjah eyes 67,000 cruise tourists

The coming cruise season will see an estimated 67,000 international cruise passengers arrive in Sharjah’s east coast, on Costa Cruises and Seabourn ships.

Costa Classica was the first cruise liner to arrive in Sharjah’s Khor Fakkan port in November with 1,700 passengers onboard.

Costa Classica passengers were taken on guided tours of the East Coast with stops in Fujairah, Dibba, Bitnah Fort, Al Baddiyah Mosque and the Friday Market.

The flagship Costa ship, Costa Favalosa with 3,800 passengers will make its maiden call at Khor Fakkan port on December 19.

With the addition of Costa Favolosa, Costa will make some 58 port calls in the UAE in the winter of 2011-12 and expects to serve some 233,000 passengers.

From December 16, 2011 to April 6, 2012, the Costa Favolosa is planning to sail the Arabian Gulf on 7-night cruises with stopovers in Sharjah (Khor Fakkan), Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat and Khasab, Oman.

Last year more than 1.5 million tourists visited Sharjah; a number which is expected to be significantly higher this year.