Setting sail for a bright cruise future

Dubai’s cruise industry has grown rapidly and aims to attract one million cruise tourists annually by 2020
Setting sail for a bright cruise future

By Rebecca Gibson |


This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2016 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.

It is hard to imagine that Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) started out as a humble fishing village. Now, 50 years after the discovery of oil and thanks to the vision of city leaders, Dubai is a vibrant and modern city. While Dubai always looks towards the future, the city embraces its roots and has always welcomed visitors that dock at its shores – from merchants arriving on trade ships in the 1940s, to travellers arriving on today’s large cruise ships.

The increase in cruise ship visitors to Dubai has proven to be fundamental both for the city’s tourism sector and the economy as a whole. However, to further develop the city’s tourism offering and encourage more people to visit, it is crucial to understand the reason behind Dubai’s increased popularity as a cruise destination.

Cruise tourism is growing on a global scale and the Cruise Lines International Association revealed that 23.2 million passengers took ocean cruises last year, a 4% increase from 2014. While the Caribbean continues to be popular among cruise tourists, Dubai is a preferred destination for tourists wanting to experience the city’s array of offerings during the winter sun.

Dubai’s geographical location also makes it the ideal connecting point between the West and the East, particularly as people from 46 nationalities can get visas on arrival, while the online visa process has been simplified and travellers can now access a multi-entry UAE visit visa. The port is also in close proximity to Dubai International Airport and offers the largest cruise terminal facilities in the Middle East that can handle passenger turnaround of five cruise ships simultaneously.

The numbers speak for themselves. In the 2001-2002 cruise season, Dubai received a total of 5,626 cruise tourists during seven ships calls, a small figure compared to the 133 ship calls and more than 541,000 cruise tourists recorded between October 2015 and June 2016. More than 22 cruise lines currently include Dubai on their itineraries, which is testament to the popularity of the city’s diverse tourism offerings among visitors from across the world.

Dubai is spearheading cruise tourism in the region, as its Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing was one of the founding members of the Cruise Arabia Alliance. This is a synergy of six Gulf Cooperation Council tourism authorities that works to enhance cruise line and cruise visitors’ experiences in the region. Bolstered by the increase in cruise tourists every year, the sector hopes to grow by another 6% in the 2016-2017 season and has already scheduled calls from 150 cruise vessels carrying 575,000 passengers. Thomson Cruises is to become the first UK-based cruise line to homeport in Dubai later this year, adding to the city’s existing roster of homeporting cruise lines, which include Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, TUI Cruises and MSC Cruises. A total of seven cruise ships will make regular sailings out of Dubai in the 2016-2017 cruise season.

Looking further into the future, the city aims to attract one million maritime tourists per year by 2020, in line with Dubai’s Tourism Vision of attracting 20 million visitors per year by the end of the decade.

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