TUI Airways, one of the largest charter airlines in the world, will operate charter flights to Muscat during the winter tourism season in 2023. The British airline will offer flights from Birmingham, London Gatwick, and Manchester to Muscat. This move comes after TUI’s successful turnaround operation in 2019 when 900 passengers from the UK and Ireland arrived in Muscat to join the MV Marella Discovery cruise at Port Sultan Qaboos. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman is conducting a study on the readiness of ports in the country to receive more cruise ships and private yachts, as cruise tourism has the potential to generate millions of riyals annually. Port Sultan Qaboos attracted 74 cruise ships and 149,000 passengers in 2022, contributing around RO4 million to the tourism sector.