DTCM and DP World host Cruise Summit to boost regional cruise tourism

Held between October 16 and 17 at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Summit brought together participants from the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman of UAE as well as from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, for a series of roundtable discussions with an aim to set out a framework to create a sustainable future for the regions cruise industry.

Among the topics discussed were terminal and port development; border controls, security and immigration; marketing of the GCC as a cruise region and the formation of a cruise ports association, and the summit also attracted participation of senior executives from the world's major cruise lines including Costa Crociere, Silversea, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and TUI Cruises.

According to Hamad M Bin Mejren, Executive Director, Business Tourism of DTCM the event served to highlight the potential of cruise tourism in the region as well as the ripple effect of hub cruise operations which has opened up more ports to the passenger sector.

The event was a perfect platform to table important aspects, increase awareness and create a unified regional strategy to boost this vital segment of the tourism industry.

"In 2012, Dubai Cruise Terminal at Port Rashid will receive 110 ships and welcome more than 400,000 cruise tourists, and these figures are set to rise over the coming years, but we need to work together within the region to reinforce the appeal of the Arabian Gulf as a winter cruise destination," he said.

Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said, "DP World is glad to be part of the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Summit 2012. Work is well underway at the new cruise terminal at Mina Rashid, and we look forward to welcoming cruise passengers to the new state of the art terminal next year. The ultra-modern complex will strengthen the leading position of the largest cruise hub in the Middle East. Mina Rashid has state-of-the-art facilities that have made it one of the most tourist-friendly ports of call."

Chairman of Seatrade, Chis Hayman, said, "Cruising worldwide was on the rise, with an estimated 16.36 million passengers worldwide in 2011 'based on figures from the Cruise Lines International Association', and this trend is set to continue."

"We have already seen a spectacular rise in cruise tourism in the Arabian Gulf, from the launch of the first Dubai Cruise Terminal in 2001, and by spearheading cooperation among regional government and tourism authorities, DTCM has provided a platform for cruise tourism to increase in numbers and its contribution to the local economy," he said.

"International cruise lines are looking for new destinations away from the traditional Caribbean and Mediterranean itineraries, and with its location between Asia and Europe, the Arabian Gulf is ideally positioned to capitalise on this requirement for the new and the exotic," he added.