In a speech to executives of cruise companies and industry representatives, the CEO of the Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), Issam Kazim, said the city of the Middle East is poised to receive one million cruzeiros by 2020.

This goal was reiterated by Dubai Tourism’s senior vice president at the opening session of the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum in Dubai with 17 representatives from 14 of the top international cruise lines.

DCTCM’s plan is for passengers to “feel the soul” of Dubai and there will not be a concentration on excursions that show only the classic part of the destination but also the latest in sights and attractions.

DP World commercial manager Esam Ahmed also highlighted the growth plans for the Mina Rashid port, which includes the allocation of additional berths to receive up to seven ships – one more than today – and the development of a new terminal to meet the market demand. During the event, it was reported that Abu Dhabi received a record 315,000 cruise visitors in 2017, about 40,000 more than last year.

HIGH CRUISERS
“Recent research has shown a global satisfaction score of 96% for cruises, an overall increase of 32% since 2015, with high scores on different aspects of the experience while traveling in the capital,” said the cruise sector and city tour development manager Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Saeed Al Dhaheri.

Meanwhile, Oman’s program director Mohammed Zahran Al Mahruqi spoke about the country’s infrastructure growth plans, while the Director of Marketing and Tourism Promotion of Bahrain, Yousef Alkhan, told the participants that there was an increase of 45 % on cruise passengers in the 2016-2017 comparative to 76,185.

For the first time, a delegation from India participated in the forum, represented on the stage by Deputy Secretary of Tourism Suman Billa, along with Mumbai Port Trust Vice-President Sri Yashodhan. The two authorities urged everyone to “work together” to assist in the growth of cruise tourism to the region, highlighting the potential for interporting with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The objective of the forum is to discuss guidelines such as outreach, seasonality, niche opportunities, port development, linkage with India, Suez Canal and the Red Sea, as well as shore excursions, crew requirements and entry potential of Chinese Tourism.

Photo: Reproduction
Source: Panrotas