Cruise season in Dubai starts on 29 October
Underscoring Dubai’s status as the region’s leading cruise hub, the emirate aims to welcome 900,000 cruise tourists during the 2022-2023 cruise season, which will begin with the arrival of TUI Cruises’ cruise ship (Mein Schiff 6) at Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, Mina Rashid, on 29 October. A total of 166 ship calls between Mina Rashid and Dubai Harbour are planned for the 2022-2023 season, which will attract around 900,000 cruise passengers and crew members.
Commenting on the development, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Border Security Council, said: “The cruise industry is an integral part of Dubai’s tourism sector and plays an important role in consolidating the emirate’s status as a global tourist destination. Dubai’s robust port infrastructure and state-of-the-art terminals can accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships, reinforcing the city’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost cruise destinations and a key gateway for regional and international cruise lines.”
Major cruise liners visiting Dubai this season include MSC Cruises & TUI Cruises and Ponant (MSC World Europa, Opera, Mein Schiff 6 and Le Bougainville), which will make their home port this season at the award-winning Mina Rashid Cruise Terminal. In addition, C.S. Aida Cosma (arriving November 17) and C.S. Costa Toscana, two new LNG-powered cruise ships, will arrive at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.
The cruise industry continues to make a significant contribution to the city’s tourism sector and will grow against the backdrop of a significant rise in Dubai’s tourism sector as a whole. During the 2021-2022 cruise season, Dubai welcomed 98 ship calls and over 338,697 passengers and crew.
Dubai has taken important steps to facilitate cruise travel by actively continuously developing port and cruise terminal infrastructure, simplifying entry and visa procedures, and strengthening cooperation with leading industry players and stakeholders to further encourage cruise visits. Over the past decade, Dubai’s popularity as a cruise destination has grown significantly, resulting in the world’s major cruise liners consistently including Dubai as a port of call on their cruise itineraries.
Notable facilities include the award-winning Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal in Mina Rashid, which can simultaneously handle seven mega-cruise ships and 14,000 cruise passengers. In addition, the cruise terminal in Dubai Harbour is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including specially designed passenger boarding bridges at the seaport. Strategically located in the heart of new Dubai, close to international airports and iconic tourist attractions, it can handle 3,250 passengers per hour per terminal.
#Dubai’s 2022-2023 cruise season to kick off on 29 October.https://t.co/438kIJbX3l pic.twitter.com/wk506PJuYS
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 9, 2022
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