Dubai has been adjudged the ‘Destination of the Year’ at the Seatrade Cruise Awards 2018, in recognition of the work done by the Cruise Tourism department of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) in pioneering cruise tourism in the region and positioning the city as a hub for winter sun cruising. Considered to be one of the most reputed titles within the cruise industry, the prestigious accolade was presented at a special ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, as part of the Seatrade Cruise Med 2018.

Dubai Tourism exhibited at Seatrade Cruise Med, under the Cruise Arabia banner, bringing together the tourism authorities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain to showcase the breadth of the region’s offerings, and to position the Arabian Gulf as the perfect destination for winter sun cruising. The delegation representing Dubai at the convention included members of the Dubai Cruise Committee (Dubai Tourism, DP World, Emirates airline, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai), as well as the representatives from the Dubai Expo 2020 and Meraas Holding, the developer of Dubai Harbour Project along with many other private sector stakeholders. The exhibition enabled all parties to explore various networking and business opportunities with leading global brands and cruise lines, in addition to deployment and homeporting opportunities for the upcoming 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 cruise seasons.

Commenting on the award win, Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said: “Winning this prestigious award is a true testament to our ongoing efforts to not only bolster the profile of Dubai as a global hub for cruising, but to also raise the awareness of the destination’s overall tourism offerings to a global audience. Cruise tourism has undoubtedly become a key industry for the Gulf and we are dedicated to educating consumers around the world about the region as the winter cruising destination. This success, of course, could not have been possible without our valued network of industry partners DP World, Emirates airline, Dubai Immigration, Dubai Customs and various other public and private sector stakeholders, who share our commitment to working within a collaborative framework to consolidate the city’s position as the cruise hub of the region, and boost the growth of the emirate’s cruise industry and tourism sector at large.”

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DP World, said: “The Seatrade ‘Destination of the Year’ Award recognises Dubai’s position as the region’s leader in cruise tourism with its world class facilities and tourist attractions. As operators of Mina Rashid Cruise Terminals, DP World is proud to support the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to turn the city into a preferred global destination for cruise tourists. We will continue to offer our expertise in catering to the rapidly growing demand for sophisticated services. DP World is also dedicated to creating a unique luxury experience, especially as we aim to receive one million cruise tourists a year by 2020.

“Our state-of-the-art Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, set to be the largest facility in the world, is equipped to meet the growing number of cruise passengers and is capable of handling 18,000 passengers a day. Mina Rashid is homeport to the top global ocean-going cruise operators. Between the terminal’s opening in 2014 and 2017, cruise ship calls to Dubai rose by 68 per cent, and we are expecting to see over 700,000 visitors for the 2018-19 season.”

Preceding the Seatrade exhibition, Dubai Tourism organised an extensive roadshow across Europe, conducted in partnership with Emirates airline and key cruise lines such as Costa Cruises, Aida Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Pullmantur Cruises who home-port in Dubai. Hosted in Vienna, Paris and Zurich, this tour forms part of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing efforts to raise the profile of Dubai as a global hub for cruising.

The roadshow was a strategic platform that was created to connect the cruise lines and the travel trade from these key source markets to increase cruise tourist arrivals throughout to Dubai from those markets during the upcoming 2018/19 cruise season. It also saw successful networking and business opportunities with the travel trade from the respective markets and leading brands in the global cruise industry.

With Dubai fast becoming a favoured destination amongst international cruise lines and cruise tourists, the emirate welcomed over 625,000 cruise tourists to the city during the 2016/2017 season. Looking ahead, Dubai’s cruise industry is set for another strong performance during the upcoming 2018/2019 season, with more than 700,000 cruise tourists expected to visit the city. This is in line with Dubai Cruise Tourism’s strategic goal of welcoming one million cruise tourists by the 2020/2021 season, with the emirate serving as the winter home port for 10 of the world’s leading international cruise lines.