21/09/2014 01:27 AST
Cruise Arabia, the collaborative initiative formed by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing to promote the Arabian Gulf as a cruise destination, participated in the three-day Seatrade Med Convention concluded on Thursday in Barcelona, Spain.
Aimed at raising awareness of the Arabian Gulf’s unique destination offering among major players from the international cruise industry, the Cruise Arabia partners showcased cruise tourism opportunities in the Arabian Gulf and the diversity of the region’s destination offering – including its city skylines, desert landscapes and beaches; the world’s most sophisticated malls and traditional souks; natural wilderness and adventure experiences; and its art, culture and heritage. The partners also shared details of the region’s world-leading hotels and burgeoning gastronomy scenes to encourage tourists to extend their stays prior to or post cruise travel.
Attracting over 4,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors, the Seatrade Med Convention is one of the most important trade events in the world for the cruise tourism industry and provides an ideal platform for engaging with travel trade professionals from European markets.
Formed in September 2013 with a shared aim to grow and evolve the cruise tourism segment, the Cruise Arabia partners have committed to making a significant investment to the cruise industry across the region, developing its segment infrastructure and creating current and future employment opportunities. A key aim of the partnership is to encourage a new generation of tourists to cruise in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, spanning new travelers from traditional markets in Europe and North America as well as those from emerging markets including China, India and the GCC.
Hamad Mohammed bin Mejren, Executive Director, Business Tourism at DTCM, said: “Seatrade Med Convention 2014 provides an ideal opportunity to engage with the European cruise industry and travel trade professionals – one of the most important segments for building our regional cruise tourism sector. It is a chance to enlighten this critical audience about the extraordinary experiences of cruise travel in our region and to increase the number of passengers considering and ultimately booking cruises in the Arabian Gulf.”
“As the home port for cruise tourism in the region, Dubai is firmly committed to working with our partners in Oman and Abu Dhabi to promote the strengths, richness and diversity of cruise travel experiences in the Arabian Gulf. By working together we provide a very persuasive rationale for attracting travellers, and bringing more tourists and ultimately economic growth and employment opportunities to our respective markets,” he added.
“We expect the upcoming cruise season to surpass last year’s especially with the new multi-entry UAE visit visa for cruise tourists that was announced last August at just AED200 ($50). The number of vessels using Dubai Cruise Terminal as their home port has increased to six this season, these vessels are also expected to make a total of 83 trips in comparison to the 63 trips that were conducted in the previous 2013/2014 season. We are expecting a total of 110 ship calls carrying around 381,500 passengers in comparison to 93 ship calls carrying 320,000 passengers last year.”
Khalid Al Zadjali, Director of Tourism Events, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: “It gives us immense pleasure to join hands, once again, with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) to promote Cruise Arabia. We are convinced that this partnership will create strong synergy in promoting cruise tourism in the UAE and Oman, enabling tourists to explore the rich and ancient culture of the region, blended with modernity at all levels.
Saudi Gazette
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