By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Dubai is on track to hit the one million cruise passenger mark by 2020, according to Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM).
Speaking at the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum in Dubai this December, Kazim said that recent cruise figures show the city is likely to hit its passenger goal. DCTCM is also working to develop shore excursions that show the heritage of the city, as well as its modern areas and attractions.
Esam Ahmed, commercial manager at DP World’s Mina Rashid & Mina Hamriyah ports in Dubai, also took to the stage at Seatrade to highlight the growth plans for Mina Rashid cruise port. They include the allocation of additional berths to handle up to seven mega cruise ships and the development of a new terminal to meet market demand by 2020.
Seatrade attendees also heard about cruise growth at several other ports in the United Arab Emirates and Arabian Gulf. Abu Dhabi, for example, welcomed a record 315,000 cruise visitors in 2017, nearly 40,000 more than the previous year.
"A recent survey commissioned for cruise passengers showed an overall satisfaction score of 96% - an overall 32% increase since 2015 – with consistently high scores across different aspects of their experience during their trip to the capital,” said Saeed Al Dhaheri, cruise sector and city tour development manager, Department of Culture & Tourism Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, in Bahrain there was a 45% increase in cruise passengers in the 2016-2017 season, according to Yousef AlKhan, director of marketing and tourism promotion at Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority (BTEA).
Delegates also heard that Ras Al Khaimah is upgrading its existing passenger terminal to accommodate boutique cruise vessels – which currently account for 11% of cruising capacity in the region. Speaking about the plans, Shaji Thomas, director destination tourism development at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said the new cruise terminal will open in February 2018.
“Cruise tourism within the Arabian Gulf has experienced explosive growth over the past five years,” said Chris Hayman, chairman of Seatrade UBM EMEA. “As deployment continues to boom, destinations across the region have already made major investments in cruise terminal facilities to accommodate an expanding fleet of ships, which are increasing in capacity from season to season.”