Executives are attending from AIDA Cruises, Carnival UK, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Marella Cruises, MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., TUI Cruises, Star Clippers, Windstar Cruises and Virgin Voyages. Star Clippers and Virgin Voyages are new to the event.
Over two days the executives will meet with a network of senior government representatives and key cruise industry stakeholders to discuss and assess the region’s potential. They'll also talk about new opportunities and key issues affecting the development of cruise tourism in the region.
'Cruise tourism within the Arabian Gulf has experienced explosive growth over the past five years,' said Chris Hayman, chairman, Seatrade UBM EMEA. 'As deployment continues to boom, destinations across the region have already made major investments in cruise terminal facilities to accommodate an expanding fleet of ships, which are increasing in capacity from season to season.'
Such expansion is providing a major benefit to ports and destinations. Between the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, Dubai chalked up 22% growth in ship numbers and 33% growth in passenger count. The destination is on course to meet its 1m target in 2020.
The event will open with messages from Hayman, Ahmed Al Rayyes, general manager retail and hospitality, DXB Entertainments; Issam Kazim, CEO Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM); Esam Ahmed, commercial manager, Mina Rashid & Mina Hamriyah, DP World; and Tim Lowther, manager leisure market and special segments, global sales, Emirates.
The opening Summit Session will concentrate on managing growth and planning for the future and features addresses from cruise executives and regional stakeholders. They include Saeed Al Dhaheri, cruise sector and city tour development manager, Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi; Mohammed Zahran Al Mahruqi, program director, ASYAD, Oman; and Yousef AlKhan, director of marketing & tourism promotion, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority. Further speakers are Hamad Mohammed Bin Shaik Mejren, SVP, DCTCM; Shaji Thomas, director, destination tourism development, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; and Shri Yashodhan A Wanage, deputy chairman, Mumbai Port Trust.
The second day's conference program will put the spotlight on a number of key discussion points, including extending seasonality, opportunities for niche cruising, port and destination development, the link with India, the Suez Canal and Red Sea, shore excursion offerings, supporting the needs of the crew and exploiting the potential for inbound Chinese tourism.
Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum has become a fixture on the regional cruise event calendar. It has been hosted for the past consecutive years in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar and, previously, in Bahrain. The event’s return to Dubai reflects the regional significance for the future of cruising in the Arabian Gulf.
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