Cruise firm doubles its operations in Dubai

Dubai, December 24: The popularity of the city as a regional winter cruise destination has been reinforced with a leading European cruise operator doubling their operations.

Costa Cruises launched its cruise season on Saturday evening, marking its second consecutive year in Dubai by deploying two ships, the Costa Romantica and Costa Europa, with capacity for 4,756 people and packages to destinations in the UAE, Arabian Gulf and the Middle East.

It is a boost to the already strong cruise tourists numbers that are expected to reach 165,000 this season, 200,000 in the 2008-2009 season and 350,000 passengers in the 2009-2010 season.

Dubai Cruise Terminal Executive Director Awardh Seghayer Al Ketbi said the trend was the result of hard work and the overcoming of challenges.

Khalid A. Bin Sulayem, Director-General of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), which operates the state-of-the-art Dubai Cruise Terminal, said Costa’s decision was highly encouraging for the regional cruise industry and will also stimulate other cruise operators to utilise Dubai as the regional hub.

“The aggressive promotional and marketing agenda being pursued by the department has resulted in a significant increase in the number of cruise ships docking in Dubai and the movement was also benefiting other regional destinations,” he said.

“In the near future, the cruise tourism industry in the emirate will witness major growth with more cruise operators coming to Dubai,” he added.

The Costa Romantica will tour the region until the end of March next year while the Costa Europa will leave on February 25, both using Dubai as a hub.

A reception for the season launch on board the Costa Romantica at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid Complex on Saturday was attended by a number of VIPs and officials, including the Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Paolo Dionisi.

Source:RamblerNews