Dubai reinforces position as favoured winter cruise destination at Seatrade Cruise Global 2019
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, known as Dubai Tourism, highlighted the city’s growing popularity as a global cruise destination during the 2019 edition of Seatrade Cruise Global, a leading exhibition for the global cruise industry that took place from 8th to 11th April in Florida, USA. The event reinforced Dubai’s suitability as a port for international cruise lines and showcased the emirate as a viable destination for pre and post cruise stopovers.
Dubai Tourism participated in the cruise industry event, exhibiting once again under the Cruise Arabia banner, to bring together the tourism authorities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Bahrain. The unified stand promoted the region’s cruising capabilities as a whole, improving business sustainability and development following successful networking and business opportunities with leading brands in the global cruise industry.
The event also welcomed world-class international cruise lines, providing a valuable platform to host discussions on deployments and port opportunities in Dubai.
Speaking about Dubai Tourism’s presence at this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global, Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism, said, "Dubai is primed as a year-round ‘must-visit’ destination for cruise tourists, welcoming multiple international cruise lines to operate regular international itineraries out of the city.
We are committed to actively working with our robust network of local, regional and global partners to continue to highlight Dubai’s ease of accessibility – be it with the introduction of a six month multi-entry UAE visa, exclusively for the crew of cruise ships free of cost, a low cost multi-entry UAE visit visa exclusively for cruise tourists, visa on arrival for over 50 nationalities, and simplified immigration and cruise-specific visa procedures on our online portals. This works in conjunction with Dubai’s efficient cruise terminal operations and continual enhancements, reinforcing the emirate’s reputation as one of the world’s leading cruise destinations."
Dubai is becoming a favoured destination amongst international cruise lines and cruise tourists, having welcomed over 725,000 cruise tourists to the city during the 2017/2018 season with 150 ship calls – including more than 20 world-class cruise lines. This reflects an increase of over 15 per cent, compared to the same period the year before.
