Cruising in Dubai
Dubai’s growing popularity as a luxury destination is underpinned by the diversity of its attractions as well as its accessibility, with such a broad market of visitors choosing The Emirates. Cruising offers travellers an experience of the city from a different perspective. Dubai Cruise Tourism is working in collaboration with
Emirates Airlines, DP World, Dubai Customs, Dubai Immigration and other relevant partners in order to provide comprehensive support to increase flexibility for the cruise lines and travellers.
October 2016 marked the official start of the 2016/2017 season with Dubai Cruise Tourism. As travellers around the globe look to escape the winter cold for sun-filled holidays, Dubai Cruise has increased options since the 2015/2016 season, which saw passenger numbers grow by 19% and ship calls increase by 24% in comparison to the previous year.
For this season, two new lines – Norwegian Cruise Line and Thomson Cruises – are making their debut in the region with their maiden call to Dubai, offering cruise visitors even more options. Thomson Cruises will be the first ever UK-based cruise line to home port in Dubai, contributing to over 12 calls and more than 25,000 cruise tourists in Dubai this season. Celestyal Cruise Lines, from Greece, will also be home porting in Dubai for the 2017/2018 season and the leading operator for the Greek Islands and Turkey will be the first to offer three to four night cruises in the region. The addition of Celestyal Cruise Lines will attract the Mediterranean source markets, further expanding the entire region’s appeal as a destination of choice for the global traveller. The new season is expected to record a further 18% increase in ship calls, leading to 157 ship calls and an estimated 600,000 cruise tourists arriving in the city. The purpose-built cruise terminals ensure that international visitors arriving in Dubai are well catered to and are offered world- class service based on a strong sense of Arabian hospitality.