Dubai's new cruise terminal is expected to open in January to support the Gulf city's plans for growing its cruise industry, seen as a key part of its strategy to boost tourist numbers, local media reported yesterday.
According to the report, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) says Royal Caribbean's first ship based in the Middle East, Brilliance of the Seas, will start sailing from its home port of Dubai in January, stopping at Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Italy's Costa Cruises has also increased its presence in Dubai, after having made the emirate its regional hub in 2007.
The DTCM predicts that the overall number of cruise-liner passengers in Dubai will top 260,000 this year.
Next year, Dubai expects an additional 99 ships carrying more than 383,000 passengers.
Until the opening, 'a temporary set-up will be made to cater to the needs of the cruise ships calling in at Dubai from' this month, said Hamad bin Mejren, executive director of business tourism at the DTCM. The interim facility features a number of large tents.
The official announcement of the new terminal's opening will be made at the Seatrade exhibition in Hamburg on Sept 15.
It will be the only cruise terminal in the world to be operated by a government department of tourism, according to the DTCM. The new terminal will have the capacity to handle up to four ships at a time.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi is also hoping to capitalise on the cruise industry and has said that it also recognised its importance in plans to increase tourist numbers. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) expects 59 per cent growth in cruise passenger arrivals in the 2009-2010 season, which runs from next month to May next year.
But it is also looking at the potential for Abu Dhabi to become a home port on its own and is working on a market study on the capital's cruise potential. The study is expected to be completed by year-end.
'Abu Dhabi has strong potential to develop as a home or turnaround port for cruise ships,' said Lawrence Franklin, director of strategy and policy at ADTA.
If the market study is favourable, Mr Franklin said it would take between four and six years to build a cruise terminal facility in Abu Dhabi.
According to the report, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) says Royal Caribbean's first ship based in the Middle East, Brilliance of the Seas, will start sailing from its home port of Dubai in January, stopping at Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Italy's Costa Cruises has also increased its presence in Dubai, after having made the emirate its regional hub in 2007.
The DTCM predicts that the overall number of cruise-liner passengers in Dubai will top 260,000 this year.
Next year, Dubai expects an additional 99 ships carrying more than 383,000 passengers.
Until the opening, 'a temporary set-up will be made to cater to the needs of the cruise ships calling in at Dubai from' this month, said Hamad bin Mejren, executive director of business tourism at the DTCM. The interim facility features a number of large tents.
The official announcement of the new terminal's opening will be made at the Seatrade exhibition in Hamburg on Sept 15.
It will be the only cruise terminal in the world to be operated by a government department of tourism, according to the DTCM. The new terminal will have the capacity to handle up to four ships at a time.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi is also hoping to capitalise on the cruise industry and has said that it also recognised its importance in plans to increase tourist numbers. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) expects 59 per cent growth in cruise passenger arrivals in the 2009-2010 season, which runs from next month to May next year.
But it is also looking at the potential for Abu Dhabi to become a home port on its own and is working on a market study on the capital's cruise potential. The study is expected to be completed by year-end.
'Abu Dhabi has strong potential to develop as a home or turnaround port for cruise ships,' said Lawrence Franklin, director of strategy and policy at ADTA.
If the market study is favourable, Mr Franklin said it would take between four and six years to build a cruise terminal facility in Abu Dhabi.