Dubai cruise season expects 166 ship calls

Underscoring Dubai’s status as the region’s leading cruise hub, the emirate is set to welcome 900,000 cruise tourists during the 2022-2023 season, which kicked off with the arrival of the cruise liner TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff 6) at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, Mina Rashid, on 29 October 2022.

TT Bureau

The 2022-2023 season is scheduled to see 166 ship calls between Mina Rashid and Dubai Harbour, bringing in an estimated 900,000 cruise passengers and crew. His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Border Security Council, said: “The strong outlook for Dubai’s 2022-2023 cruise season will help accelerate its drive to realise the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s most visited destination and the best city to live and work in.”

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed added: “The cruise industry is an integral part of Dubai’s tourism sector and plays an important role in reinforcing the emirate’s status as a global tourism hub. Dubai’s robust port infrastructure and state-of-the-art terminal facilities can handle some of the world’s largest cruise ships, underpinning the city’s reputation as one of the world’s most advanced cruise destinations and a key gateway for regional and international cruise itineraries.”

Some major cruise liners scheduled to visit Dubai this season include MSC Cruises & TUI Cruises and Ponant (MSC World Europa, Opera, Mein Schiff 6 & Le Bougainville), which will make the award-winning Mina Rashid Cruise Terminal their home port for the season. In addition, C.S. Aida Cosma (arriving on 17 November) and C.S. Costa Toscana, the two new LNG-powered cruise ships, will arrive at the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said: “Cruise Tourism has become a key contributor to Dubai’s economy. The emirate’s central location, midway between Europe and Asia, is vital to its success as a primary homeport for cruise ships in the Arabian Gulf and the wider Middle East and its popularity as one of the top destinations. Owing to Dubai’s strengths, including decades of investments in the tourism industry, we are predicting another robust winter for the 2022-2023 season. At our cruise terminals, we expect 123 calls from some of the largest cruise operators, which is a 100 per cent increase over the last season. Additionally, passenger and crew inflows are forecast to rise to around 600,000, more than double the previous season.”