Cruise tourism booming in Dubai
13 November 2009
Dubai is growing in profile as a cruise holiday destination, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
The organisation referred to figures showing that three cruise ships carrying some 5,076 people docked in Dubai in the first week of November.
Princess Cruises' Tahitian Princess arrived on 3 November with 1,151 passengers and spent a day in Dubai before leaving for Mumbai. P&O Cruises ship Ocean Village Two docked on the same day with 2,236 people on board.
Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas docked in Dubai on 4 November, bringing 1,689 travellers to the city from Safaga port in Egypt.
The DTCM arranged a welcome ceremony for all three vessels, which featured traditional music performed by a local band and a falconry show.
In 2008, Dubai hosted over 182,000 cruise tourists, a number that is expected to exceed 250,000 this year and increase to more than 325,000 in 2010, following the opening of a new terminal in January.