Work will begin in the coming months to turn Doha Port into a “full-time cruise terminal and tourist attraction,” the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has said.

The announcement comes more than two years after plans to repurpose the marine facility were first announced and several months after some commercial vessels started to use the new Hamad Port near Mesaieed. The QTA is increasing efforts to market the country as a cruise ship destination and said this week that German operator TUI Cruises would dock seven vessels, carrying up to 17,500 passengers, in Qatar during the 2017-18 season.