Category Archives: Cruises

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has said that mega projects being implemented in the UAE are reinforcing the country’s profile globally as a model for sustainable growth driven by diversification, innovation and productive partnerships with the private sector. He also said the tourism sector is key to the development of the UAE’s economy, due to the value it adds through key projects and its ability to attract millions of visitors every year. “We welcome visitors from across the world and provide them with an exceptional tourism experiences. We want them to leave with lasting memories that they can share in their countries and communities. The continuous development of infrastructure has enabled our country to be a destination of choice in the region. Supported by the talent and creativity of our people, I am confident that we will be able to establish global leadership in several sectors. The UAE will continue to be a symbol of progress and prosperity,” Sheikh Mohammed added. His remarks came as he approved the ‘Dubai Cruise Terminal’ as the main hub for cruise tourism in Dubai. His Highness also attended the signing ceremony of a strategic partnership agreement between Meraas and Carnival Corporation & plc that aims to transform Dubai into a major regional maritime tourism hub.

The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) supported by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism)  has organised a workshop for key government entities, yacht operators and manufacturers as part of wider efforts to develop Dubai’s maritime industry. The workshop was held following the announcement of the economic stimulus by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai to reinforce Dubai’s economy. This important sector has significant potential to grow by expanding into the lucrative luxury yachts sector plus ensuring leisure maritime pursuits are easier to enjoy with the overall aim to further broaden Dubai’s tourism offering. With the global yacht industry expected to reach $74.7 billion by 20221, driven by luxury cruising among high net worth individuals, Dubai aims to be well-placed to ensure maritime regulations and infrastructure match the demanding expectations of this significant sector. Already the world’s fourth most visited city2, Dubai’s existing tourism proposition is hugely attractive for global visitors and is perfectly positioned to capture an increasing share of the high-end superyacht market. The leisure maritime sector is also expected to continue on an upward curve due to an easing of regulations encouraging recreational boating activities. Local stakeholders have highlighted a number of challenges that are being addressed to facilitate easier access and drive increased visitation from maritime enthusiasts who seek sea based experiences.

In keeping with its strategy to receive 1 million cruise tourists by 2020-21, Dubai Cruise Tourism has signed an MoU at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to launch the Dubai Cruise Committee, which confirms the implementation of a collaborative framework designed to consolidate the city’s position as ‘cruise hub of the region’. The Dubai Cruise Committee is a strategic network of leading industry partners; Dubai Tourism, DP World UAE Region FZE, Emirates Airline, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, and Dubai Customs. This newly-signed MoU demonstrates each organisation’s commitment to work together to increase the number of cruise tourists to Dubai. As well as agreeing to work together to sustain the emirate’s position as a leading winter cruise destination, the Dubai Cruise Committee discussed and approved business development strategies to secure long term contracts with existing clients and attract new cruise lines to use the emirate as their winter home port in the region. The committee also agreed to work to extend Dubai’s cruise season further into the summer months, to appeal to additional market segments around the world. Commenting on the newly-signed MoU, Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism, said, “Dubai has been instrumental in pioneering cruise tourism in the region, and our success could not have been achieved without our close working relationships with both the public and private sectors. This landmark agreement signed by the Dubai Cruise Committee will ensure that international cruise lines will receive an end-to-end support for their plans in Dubai.”

Highlighting Dubai’s position as a leading winter cruise destination, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is on track to welcome 1 million cruise tourists by 2020-21. DTCM also emphasised on the city’s growing popularity as a global cruise destination viable for pre-cruise and post-cruise stopovers, and an apt homeport in the region at the Seatrade Cruise Global in Florida, USA, a leading event for the cruise industry. Exhibited under the Cruise Arabia banner, Dubai Tourism brought together the tourism authorities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain on a unified stand with the goal of promoting the region as a whole, and improving business sustainability and development. The three-day event also saw networking and business opportunities with leading brands in the global cruise industry, to discuss deployments and homeporting opportunities in Dubai to heighten the awareness of the destination’s cruise offerings to a global audience. Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism, said, “Cruise Tourism is certainly a key industry for the Gulf and we are dedicated to educating consumers around the world about the region as a key winter cruising destination. We have been working to highlight Dubai’s ease of accessibility with the latest introduction of a multi-entry UAE visit visa exclusively for cruise tourists, as well as simplified immigration and cruise-specific visa procedures on our online portals.”

Cruise Arabia, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), spearheaded the Abu Dhabi delegation that recently participated at Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Abu Dhabi’s participation in this international event is just one in a series of initiatives aimed at further promoting the cruise tourism sector in the Arabian Gulf and positioning Abu Dhabi as the leading cruise destination in the lead up to the 2018-19 cruise season. The Abu Dhabi delegation included Abu Dhabi Ports, Etihad Airways and the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs – Abu Dhabi. Seatrade Cruise Global is the leading annual global business-to-business event for the cruise industry. Bringing together buyers and suppliers for a four-day conference and three-day exhibition, the forum draws more than 11,000 registered attendees, over 700 exhibiting companies from 113 countries and more than 300 international journalists to become the cruise industry’s epicentre of ideas, products and services.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) recently announced the arrival of the first two cruise ships into the Kingdom, where more than 5,600 visitors were aboard the MSC and AIDA cruise lines. Additionally, a tour around the Kingdom was also organised where visitors had the chance to visit some of Bahrain’s tourist attractions. “We are happy to welcome the first two cruise ships for 2018 and are committed to providing all the facilities necessary to ensure their safe arrival into the Kingdom. We look forward to receiving more cruise ships over the next few months. This comes as part of the BTEA’s focus to revitalise the tourism sector for growth of the national economy,” said H.E. Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, BTEA. “During the current cruise season which runs between November and May, Bahrain is expected to receive 33 cruise vessel calls and almost 80,000 visitors from prestigious cruise lines including the world-renowned Crystal Cruises,” he added. Hosting cruise ships comes as part of the BTEA’s long-term strategy to further develop the Kingdom’s tourism sector under the slogan of ‘Ours.Yours.’, which contributes towards the Kingdom’s 2030 Economic Vision.

In a keynote address at the opening session of Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) confirmed that Dubai remains on track to receive one million cruise passengers by 2020. Addressing delegates, he also referred to DCTCM’s plan to ensure that cruise passengers felt the ‘soul’ of Dubai and there would be an extra concentration on excursions showing the heritage of the city and its older parts. Around 17 cruise line executives from 14 of the world’s leading cruise lines attended the annual two-day event held at Lapita, located within Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai. The programme focused on a number of key discussion points, including extending seasonality, opportunities for niche cruising, port and destination development, link with India, the Suez Canal and Red Sea, shore excursion offerings, supporting the needs of the crew and exploiting the potential for inbound Chinese tourism. The event’s return to Dubai reflects the regional significance for the future of cruising in the Arabian Gulf.

Dubai has been chosen by Crystal Cruises as the location for the company’s flagship liner to make its maiden voyage in the region. The decision to make Dubai the location for the regional debut of the liner’s sophisticated new look further cements the emirate’s position as the region’s leading cruise destination. Despite Dubai’s cruise industry only really gaining momentum in 2001 with the opening of the first cruise terminal in the Gulf, the city has been instrumental in pioneering cruise tourism in region. The emirate is now serving over 20 world-class cruise lines, including Crystal Cruises, the world’s most awarded cruise line. DP World was also present to welcome Crystal Symphony on her maiden voyage to the region. “The choice of Dubai by Crystal Cruises reinforces the emirate’s reputation as one of the world’s leading cruise destinations. DP World is committed to providing all forms of support to cruise liners that call at Dubai’s cruise terminals, as part of our group’s comprehensive strategy to boost the growth of the emirate’s cruise industry.” said Mohammed Al Mannaei, CEO, P&O Marinas and Executive Director, Mina Rashid – DP World.

Antarctica is slowly emerging as one of the most sought-after destinations by UAE’s cruise travellers, who are always on the search for something exotic and different. To help those who are still on the lookout for a tour operator that could take them to this new dream destination, India-based ‘The Q Experiences’ has announced a trip to Antarctica on a luxury cruise, starting from December 9, 2017. This will be an 11-day curated trip to the exotic, ice crowned continent, also rightly known as the White Continent. Speaking about this new adventure trip in the offing, Vasim Shaikh, founder of The Q Experiences said, “We have received tremendous response for this trip from the GCC countries. At The Q, it is our constant endeavour to create memories that last a lifetime for all our travellers; we are keen on creating a similar experience for our Gulf travellers as well, and we are hopeful to see more travellers from this region to join us in this trip of a lifetime”.

The 2016-17 season of Dubai Cruise Tourism (DCT) officially concluded with the departure of the season’s final ship, the C.S. Sea Princess, from Port Rashid recently. This season of Dubai Cruise Tourism saw over 625,000 cruise tourists visit the city via 157 ship calls, reflecting an increase of 15 per cent in the number of tourists and 18 per cent in the number of ship calls when compared to the 2015-16 season. The season also saw Thomson Cruises, the first UK-based cruise line home porting in the region, in addition to inaugural visits from TUI’s Mein Schiff 1 Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star and MSC’s MSC Fantasia among the eight other maiden ship calls. Commenting on the success of the 2016-17 season, Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director of Dubai Cruise Tourism said, “We are very pleased with the success of our 2016-17 cruising season and with the city’s sustained popularity as a winter cruise destination. We are grateful to DP World, Dubai Airports, Dubai Immigration, Dubai Customs, Emirates Airlines and our other key public and private sector stakeholders for their continued cooperation which has led to an ever-increasing number of cruise operators looking to anchor in the emirate.”