Feature 27 CRUISE INDUSTRY
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“Offering interesting destinations and more ports of call is essential to growing the Gulf’s cruise industry”
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million (US$113 million) by 2020, from a bench- mark of AED244 million ($66 million) in 2015. This is forecast to almost double to AED745 million ($202 million) by 2025. Additionally, the number of cruise ships
calling at Abu Dhabi will increase to 258 by 2025, the report predicts. “TCA Abu Dhabi and its stakeholders have
worked with leading cruise lines to develop infrastructure, streamline marketing efforts and create a desirable cruise destination,” says HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, TCA Abu Dhabi. “A continued joint approach toward building capacity will be key to ensuring we all share a sustainable growth agenda and fulfil our ambitions to expand the region’s cruise sector,” he adds. In December, Abu Dhabi launched Sir Bani
Yas Cruise Beach, the Gulf region’s only dedi- cated desert island cruise stopover, meeting demand for “a beach call addition to the itinerar- ies of the world’s leading cruise lines”, according to HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi and TDIC. Covering 1.3 kilometres of land, the cruise
beach has the capacity to double in size and scale to meet future market demands and gives cruisers access to eco-tourism wildlife tours and three luxury hotels. Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach expects more
than 60,000 passengers from 39 stopover cruise line calls in its first season alone.
In addition to developing an eco-tourism
offering to cruisers, Abu Dhabi is spearhead- ing the ‘halal cruising’ concept. “We believe our culture, heritage and prod-
uct base has great appeal with the Muslim trav- eller and the expansion of this product mix into the cruise segment is a natural progression to attract Muslim passengers from our key cruise markets,” explains Mubarak Al Shamsi, Direc- tor, Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau. The capital’s international cruise tourism
passengers are predominately sourced from Germany, the UK and France, which have a combined Muslim population of more than nine million people. “When you factor in the US$55 billion (AED202 billion) value of the Muslim travel market from the UAE and our closest GCC neighbours, the potential is clear to see,” adds Al Shamsi. TCA Abu Dhabi is working with key tour-
ism stakeholders, including accommodation providers and DMCs, to develop halal-friendly excursions and pre- and post-cruise itineraries.
PULLING TOGETHER The UAE’s cruise industry has experienced signif- icant growth since 2014, when the multiple entry UAE visa was introduced. It has inspired other Gulf cruise destinations to take similar steps, with the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) recently streamlining visa processes for cruise passen- gers in a bid to boost this market. About 32
ships carrying more than 50,000 passengers are anticipated in Qatar this cruise season. Relaxing visa rules opens emerging source
markets, particularly India and China, both of which are being targeted by Cruise Arabia, a united partnership that brings together six GCC tourism authorities — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Shar- jah, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar — to promote the region as a preferred winter cruise destination. With India’s major cities up to four hours’ flying distance from the Gulf’s leading cruise destina- tions, the growth opportunities are boundless, says Hamad Mohammed Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism. “Cruise Arabia has initiated discussions with
the relevant ministry departments in India and we are looking to develop co-operation moving forward,” he reveals. “The proximity of the Indian subcontinent is perfect for cruise tourism and we will work with cruise lines to identify itineraries originating from the Middle East for the 12- to 14-day duration trips in particular.” Arabian Gulf itineraries involving multiple
overnights are increasingly popular with high- end cruisers says Helen Beck, Vice President International Sales and Marketing for luxury operator, Crystal Cruises. “The continued investment in Gulf destina-
tions is impressive and this drives curiosity from our well-travelled guests to experience the destinations for themselves,” she says. The Gulf is the destination of choice for the 2017 edition
of Crystal’s prestigious President’s Cruise, hosted by Chairman, President and CEO, Edie Rodri- guez. From November 4 to 22, Crystal Symphony will sail from Rome to Dubai, via Oman. The ship will overnight in Dubai and Abu Dhabi before making a maiden call into Doha and heading on to Mauritius. In 2018, Crystal Serenity will sail from Mumbai
to Dubai, with overnight stays in Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and visits to Manama and Doha. Beck says the development of new ports such as Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach is “very welcome” and helps with itinerary planning. “Having a range of ports from which to
choose for our voyages means we continue to offer new options to our well-travelled and discerning guests,” she explains. The Gulf needs to continue to diversify its
destination offering to provide cruises with a “wider selection of experiences,” Beck adds. Travel Matrix’s Durai agrees: “Offering inter-
esting destinations and more ports of call is essential to growing the Gulf’s cruise industry. These should also be promoted in key source markets to take the Gulf’s cruise tourism busi- ness to the next level.”
5 Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal 6 Hamad Mohammed Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism 7 Helen Beck, Vice President International Sales and Marketing, Crystal Cruises 8 QE2 in Dubai 9 Sir Bani Yas Island cruise stopover
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