Iran's First Ocean-Going Cruise Ship Docked in Qeshm

The director of ports and maritime transport of the Qeshm Free Zone Organization announced that the first ocean-going cruise ship docked at Kaveh Port in Qeshm on Thursday morning, April 24, with 211 tourists on board. According to the official website of the Qeshm Free Zone Organization, Pejman Bahrami stated that the cruise ship's journey began the previous night from Kish Island, and after an unforgettable night at sea between Kish and Qeshm, the recreational vessel docked this morning at Kaveh Wharf. He noted that the numerous attractions of the Persian Gulf islands, especially Qeshm and Kish, were the main reasons for establishing a maritime route between the two islands. The report adds that the nine-story cruise ship has 130 cabins, 77 of which are of the special class, and it offers 417 accommodation beds. Other amenities of this recreational ship include 3,500 square meters of dining space, two cinema halls, a library, a study room, a conference hall, a children's playroom, and an Iranian kitchen for preparing various dishes. However, the IRNA news agency reported the cruise ship's name as 'Sani' and stated that the number of passengers was 400. IRNA mentioned that the mentioned ship will operate on the maritime route between Kish, Qeshm, and other ports such as Chark and Bandar Abbas. According to this report, the Sani ship can also transport up to 250 passenger vehicles and was built in Sweden for short-term sea trips lasting four to seven days. The French news agency also published a report about the 'Sani' cruise ship, stating that it has a capacity to carry 1,600 passengers and is employed to develop Iran's tourism industry. The report adds that despite Iran's white sandy beaches, the country cannot compete with other tourist destinations in the Persian Gulf countries like Dubai, as Iran imposes restrictions such as prohibiting alcohol and dancing for tourists. The French news agency noted that after the lifting of sanctions, the moderate government of Hassan Rouhani prioritized the tourism industry in its programs to stabilize Iran's economy. According to this report, the number of foreign tourists visiting Iran increased from 2.2 million in 2009 to 5.2 million in 2015, attributed to the relative improvement in Iran's relations with the global community. The French news agency reported that the government plans to build 300 new hotels over the next five years to improve the currently low-quality accommodation conditions for tourists.