Dubai cruise terminal welcomes over 2.3m tourists since 2014
DUBAI, January 5, 2019
The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, the biggest cruise terminal in the world in terms of size and handling capacity, has received more than 2.3 million tourists since its inauguration in 2014, up to the end of 2018.
The terminal also recorded a milestone with 172 per cent increase in cruise tourists’ numbers, from 232,000 visitors in 2014 to 632,000 in 2018, in addition to a significant growth of vessels calls, from 94 calls in 2014 to 120 calls in 2018.
In 2015, it had received around 270, 000 visitors, 564,000 visitors in 2016, and 602,000 visitors in 2017.
"DP World said it will continue provide the support through the development of infrastructure, Terminals, and berthing with a length of 1,900 m can accommodate up to seven mega ships at a time carrying more than 18,000 passengers, said Mohamed Abdulaziz Al Mannaei, the executive director at Mina Rashid and CEO of P&O Marinas.
This number of cruise visitors arriving in one day can be smoothly handled with the 70,000-sq-m of car parking can take up to 36 big buses, 150 taxis, and sufficient number of private cars.
Earlier last month, DP World welcomed five giant international cruise liners carrying over 23,000 tourists, marking the start of the region's cruise tourist season with the entry of vessels Aida Prima (with 6700 visitors), MSC Splendida (7,918), MscLirica (3,860), Costa Mediterranea (5,550) and Horizon with 3700 visitors.
Dubai's vision is to welcome a million Cruise Tourists by 2020, as confirmed by 10 international companies who have been asked to keep Dubai as their main destination for the winter season 2020-2021. This will help arrange 10 international cruises starting from Dubai, said the senior official.
"A variety of sizes of cruise ships will meet the various budgets and geographical areas. The tourist visa which allows visitors to enter the country multiple times has also been an important factor in efforts to attract the cruise tourists from around the world," he added.
Hamad Bin Mejren, the senior vice president (Stakeholders) Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: "Dubai is fast becoming a favoured destination amongst international cruise lines and cruise tourists, and we are dedicated to showcasing the robust growth of the city as an established cruise hub for the wider region." -TradeArabia News Service
