Cruise Boost for Dubai Tourism

Cruise ships brought in 26,580 tourists to Dubai from 6 April to 14 June 2010 according to recent statistics released by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The cruise terminal at Port Rashid serviced 17 ships belonging to cruise companies from all over the world.

Among the cruise lines that contributed significantly to the increase in cruise trips to the emirate during the three-month stretch are the Silver Whisper with 227 passengers; the Seabourn Odyssey with 293; Brilliance of the Seas with 4,287; AIDA Diva with 2,438; Costa Luminosa with 2,175; Ocean Princess with 524; Spirit of Oceanus with 71; and Crystal Symphony with 372 passengers.

Costa Deliziosa, meanwhile, carried 10,358 travelers in five trips. Ships that visited Dubai during the latter part of the period included The World with 56 passengers; Azamara Quest with 667; C Columbus with 254; Queen Victoria with 1,823; Albatross with 605 passengers, and Dawn Princess which transported 1,875 travelers in June 2010. Although some tourists traveled back to their respective countries by plane, others took their place on the ships’ return trips.

The first quarter of 2010 saw a strong influx of Bahraini tourists to Dubai after the recent opening of the new Dubai Cruise Terminal, which can accommodate four ships at a time. Costa Cruises also recently opened a representative office in Dubai. Costa Luminosa made 18 calls with a total of 118,314 passengers between 10 December 2009 and 12 April 2010, while Costa Deliziosa made 10 calls with 65,730 passengers between 23 February and 11 May 2010.

 DTCM is expecting to host a total of 120 ships and over 325,000 passengers in 2010. The expected tourist footfall is in line with the growing number of cruise ships and cruise tourists visiting Dubai; there were 250,000 tourists from 100 cruise calls in 2009, and over 182,000 from 82 calls made by cruise liners in 2008.

The new Dubai Cruise Terminal, which spans an area of 3,450 square metres, is one of the key factors that has influenced the growing popularity of Dubai as a cruise destination. The terminal features facilities like money exchange, ATM machine, post office outlet, duty free shop, souvenir shops, Wi-Fi business centre with free internet access and VIP Majlis.

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