Cruise Tourism and Sustainable Development in the Coastal Cities of Oman

This groundbreaking study is probably the first to examine the impact of the newly emerging cruise industry on sustainable economic development in the coastal cities of the Sultanate of Oman. This empirical study aims to underline the prospect and impact of the cruise industry in the sultanate, which surged by 43.6 per cent in 2019, on economic, financial and environmental sustainability of the coastal cities of Al Khasab, Muscat, Duqm and Salalah. The study adopts a multidisciplinary approach and uses key theoretical underpinnings in the fields of tourism, economics, finance and the environment to underline the growth prospect and potential impact of the cruise tourism on the economic sustainability of the coastal cities. It employs mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research techniques for primary data collection, while using complex statistical software and models for data analysis and measuring the likely effect of this industry on the business sector, employment, income revenues and the environment. The findings are expected to change the perceptions of policy makers of the cruise industry and how it contributes to the sustainable development of the coastal cities under examination.