Boosting cruise tourism high on DTCM’s agenda
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In an effort to encourage and introduce cruise tourism to regional markets, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), 
Government of Dubai recently concluded its regional series of workshops.
The road show took place across seven cities which included Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and witnessed participation from over 500 representatives from major tourism companies.
Representing the DTCM at the workshops, which were conducted in collaboration with two key cruise lines – Italy’s Costa Crociere and US-based Royal Caribbean International – were and Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director of Cruise Tourism.
Hamad M Bin Mejren, Executive Director of Business Tourism, DTCM said: “The aim of the road show was to introduce cruise tourism to the region and emphasize its significance to the region’s economy. Consolidating efforts, sharing knowledge and experiences with travel agencies across the GCC also formed a core part of the workshops.”
Witnessing the strong growth in the segment, DTCM initiated the road show. In 2010, Dubai welcomed 103 ships, which hosted 390,255 passengers. In 2011, this was up to 108 ships hosting 396,500 passengers and the Department’s forecast for 2012 is to receive 110 ships and over 400,000 cruise tourists, a figure it hopes will reach 125 ships with 475,000 passengers by 2015.
