Cruise Arabia – the collaborative initiative formed by Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to promote the Arabian Gulf as a cruise destination – kicked off its third annual GCC roadshow with an event at the Park Hyatt hotel in Jeddah today.
Designed to keep the region’s travel trade professionals up-to-date on the cruise tourism sector and to help drive intraregional cruise tourism, particularly with families, the roadshow is visiting three cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobbar – as well as Kuwait City, Kuwait from today until 22 October 2014.
The tourism authority partners will meet with hundreds of local tour operators and travel agents over the course of the four-day, four-city roadshow. The Cruise Arabia partners are also joined on the roadshow by representatives from three of the world’s leading cruise companies – Costa, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
Hamad Mohammed bin Mejren, Executive Director, Business Tourism at DTCM, said: “This roadshow is designed to help build awareness of cruise tourism, familiarise travel professionals with cruise itineraries in the Arabian Gulf, and ultimately drive an increase in the number of GCC tourists taking voyages by cruise in the region. At present, a significant number of GCC travellers are not fully aware of the many attractions of cruise holidays, which include perks such as free travel and accommodation for children, stunning on-board amenities and entertainment, and outstanding itineraries which range from just a few days to several weeks. This roadshow – now in its third year – helps to educate and inform travel trade professionals, so that they in turn can educate and inform their customers.
“Earlier this year, the new multi-entry UAE visit visa for cruise tourists that was announced. At just 200 dirhams (c.US$50) this makes it easier than ever for expatriate families living in the region, as well as overseas visitors, to cruise in the Arabian Gulf. We expect this to further contribute to the growth of cruise travel. Our forecasts for this year are already up – in Dubai we will welcome a total of 110 ship calls carrying around 381,500 passengers in comparison to 93 ship calls carrying 320,000 passengers last year.”
Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority said: “We are taking the cruise industry’s expanding Arabian Gulf cruise itineraries to the GCC market to raise awareness and demand for this exciting product. Cruise ships these days offer a level of luxury and family entertainment which will suit the regional consumer, whether national or expatriate. Our rationale is simple – the more demand we create, the more our cruise partners will expand their offering. Everyone wins.”
Khalid Al Zadjali, Director of Tourism Events, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: “We are excited to be a part of Cruise Arabia’s series of road shows, which aim to position the Arabian Gulf as a premier cruise destination. Oman, in particular, has become a highly-preferred tourist attraction for tourists and visitors coming to the Middle East region and is widely attributed to the country’s year-long tourism season. In fact, Oman has also started to position itself as a choice destination for cruises. In 2013, a total of over 177,000 cruise passengers visited the Sultanate, which reflects the country’s continuing increase in cruise ship activity via its three main ports; Khasab Port, Salalah Port and Muscat Port. Oman is a country with a rich culture and heritage accompanied with attractive spots like pristine beaches, traditional souks, castles and fortresses, natural wilderness and adventure experiences that make it a must see cruise destination of choice and an ideal pre- and post-touring location, which is the main reason why it was able to attract over 2.1 million tourists last year.”
Formed in September 2013 with a shared aim to grow and evolve the cruise tourism segment, the Cruise Arabia partners have committed to making a significant investment to the cruise industry across the region, developing its segment infrastructure and creating current and future employment opportunities. A key aim of the partnership is to encourage a new generation of tourists to cruise in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, spanning new travellers from traditional markets in Europe and North America as well as those from emerging markets including China, India and the GCC.