Dubai kicks off new cruise season

A new cruise season has started in Dubai, with the emirate’s ports welcoming more than 900,000 passengers “from the sea”. The plans signal a grand revival for the industry, as last year Dubai was only able to serve 98 cruise ships and just over 338,000 passengers amid a downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022-2023 cruise season began with the arrival of TUI Cruise Line’s Mein Schiff 6 at Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal in Mina Rashid. In addition, the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal (DHCT) has begun receiving ocean class ships. The first liner will arrive at the new harbour on November 17, and 46 ships with 300,000 tourists on board are expected to call before April 2023.

Cruise ship occupancy rates are expected to increase significantly in the new season. Mina Rashid’s cruise terminals are expecting 123 arrivals from major cruise operators, which is 100% more than last season. These harbours will welcome more than 600,000 tourists, double the number from a year ago.

DHCT Marina will host CS Aida Cosma and CS Costa Toscana liners, which will cruise the Persian Gulf until April 15 next year. It will also receive cruise ships from six international operators such as P&O and Princess Cruises from the Mediterranean, Europe and elsewhere. Football fans will also have the opportunity to stay on a cruise liner in Doha, with three ships offering staterooms for short stays during the World Cup leg.

As previously revealed, Dubai has been selected as one of six cities around the world to host festivals for sports fans ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which starts on 20 November. As well as Dubai, the festivals will be hosted by London, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Seoul. In Dubai, the venue for the festivals will be the new Dubai Harbour.

Source: Gulf News

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