Cruise Arabia kicks off GCC road show
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In a bid to boost the cruise offerings from the region, Cruise Arabia – a 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) has embarked on its third annual GCC roadshow. The initiative was set up with the objective to promote the Arabian Gulf as a cruise destination.
The road shows are being held across three cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobbar – as well as Kuwait City. The aim of the road show is to keep travel professionals updated on the cruise tourism sector and to help drive intraregional cruise tourism, particularly with families.
Hamad Mohammed bin Mejren, executive director, business tourism at DTCM, said: “This road show 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 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.”
The tourism authority partners will meet local tour operators and travel agents over the course of the four-day, four-city roadshow. The Cruise Arabia partners are also joined by representatives from Costa, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
He further added: “Earlier this year, the new multi-entry UAE visit visa for cruise tourists was announced. At just AED 200 (c.US$50) this makes it easier for expatriate families living in the region, as well as overseas visitors. 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.”
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