Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), operated by APM Terminals Bahrain, marked the beginning of 2019-20 Cruise Season as the first luxury ship of the year, Mein Schiff 5, carrying 2351 passengers recently docked at the port to a traditional Bahraini welcome. This year, 124,425 cruise passengers are expected to arrive in Bahrain between October 2019 – April 2020 via 61 cruise ships. Of this, passengers onboard Mein Schiff 5 have requested to extend their stay by 3 hours giving them an opportunity to enjoy an enhanced cultural experience of Bahrain.
With this, APM Terminals marks 10 years of hosting cruise tourism in Bahrain, with over 406,513 passengers and 230 vessels for the past 5 years. Earlier this year, KBSP hosted its first summer cruise season between June – September. The maiden season witnessed 4,938 passengers coming to Bahrain making tourism a round-the-year activity rather than being restricted to winter months as in the past years.
On this occasion, His Excellency Bader Hood Al Mahmood, Assistant Undersecretary for Ports Affairs, said “As the regulator of the port and maritime related infrastructure, we are committed in ensuring that Khalifa Bin Salman Port is fully equipped in handling and providing services to attract and enhance tourism to Bahrain and work hand in hand with the APM Terminals in attracting cruise liners and boosting Bahrain as destination of choice.”