DUBAI Cruise Tourism, part of Dubai Tourism, was in China early December to promote the emirate’s strengths as a cruise tourism destination, alongside representatives from cruise industry partners MSC, Costa Crociere and Royal Caribbean International (RCI). The newly launched UAE multi-entry cruise tourism visa was the talk of the day.
Dubai Tourism, with four overseas offices in China, has worked closely with China’s travel trade to attract tourists to Dubai. This marked the first time that the Dubai Cruise Tourism team undertook a dedicated roadshow to promote Dubai’s strength as the Middle East’s leading cruise destination. The number of Chinese cruise passengers who travel overseas has increased from 160,000 to 660,000 in the last six years, representing a significant growth in demand for cruise travel, and Dubai aims to be part of this growth. Hamad bin Mejrin, executive director, Dubai Tourism says: “Cruise tourism in China is still a relatively new industry, but it is one with huge developing potential and opportunity. We already know that Dubai is a city that Chinese travellers have fallen in love with, and we want to ensure they are also made aware of the unique attractions of cruise tourism – from on-board entertainment, to special deals for families, to incredible itineraries, which include amazing destinations across the Arabian Gulf and far beyond.” The Arabian Gulf is already one of the world’s top three cruise destinations for winter sun and Dubai is the home port of choice for cruise operators in the region – including Costa, Aida, Royal Caribbean, MSC and TUI – offering the largest cruise facility in the Middle East. The main port, Mina Rashid, is located close to the centre of Dubai and excellent transportation links mean that the attractions of the city are within immediate reach of cruise passengers. Investment in new infrastructure combined with guaranteed sunshine and warm weather, as well as must-experience attractions such as Burj Khalifa, the Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and world-leading malls packed with international designer brands, make Dubai an ideal cruise destination. It recently became easier and more effective for Chinese cruise tourists to visit Dubai and other locations in the UAE by sea, with the introduction of a new multiple entry UAE visa for cruise tourists. Chinese tourists entering the country to take a cruise who require entry into multiple UAE ports – for example Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Khorfakkan – can now apply for the new visa through their cruise line, either at the time or after booking. The visa is valid for 60 days from the date of issue to the first entry into UAE. After the first entry, the visa remains valid for 30 days.Dubai’s cruise season, which runs from October through to June, will see a total of 110 cruise ship calls carrying more than 381,000 passengers arriving in the city. Passenger numbers are set to rise by 19 per cent on the 2013/2014 season, meaning an additional 60,000 sea-travellers will embark, disembark or transit at Mina Rashid, Dubai. Dubai Tourism forecasts further sustained growth for the cruise sector, spurred by the upcoming opening of an additional new 27,000 sq m terminal at the city’s main port later this season, the introduction of the new cruise tourism visa, and the work of the Cruise Arabia partnership. Cruise Arabia is a collaborative initiative formed by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing to promote the region as a cruise destination. This season, the number of vessels using Dubai Cruise Terminal as their home port increases to six and these vessels are expected to make a total of 83 trips in comparison to 63 trips in the 2013/2014 season. Frequent cruises from Dubai start with a minimum of four nights travel, and include seven, 12 and 14 night itineraries covering the Arabian Gulf, India and Sri Lanka. The upcoming 2014-15 cruise season sees Dubai acting as the home port of Costa, Aida and MSC, and when TUI and Royal Caribbean return to their traditional home within the next two seasons, Dubai will once again be the home port of five of the world’s leading cruise lines. With Dubai government’s long-term strategic focus on developing the cruise industry, the aim is to reach 450,000 cruise tourists annually by 2016, increasing from just over 386,000 in 2013.