World’s top cruise liners set sail for Dubai

The world’s leading luxury liners are all set to sail for Dubai once again, as the 2021-2022 cruise season commences.

The season kicked off with the arrival of TUI Cruise Line’s Mein Schiff 6 at Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, Mina Rashid on Saturday, October 23.

Dubai, the region’s cruise hub, rolled out a grand welcome to the 2,000 passengers and crew on board Mein Schiff 6, the first of several luxury ships that will dock at the cruise terminals of Mina Rashid and at the recently launched Dubai Harbour.

The 2021-2022 season is expected to welcome 126 ship calls and over 500,000 cruise visitors, contributing further to the momentum of Dubai’s tourism recovery.

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, said Dubai’s effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic has enabled the emirate to restore normalcy in record time and accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector.

He stressed that the health and safety of visitors and workers in the cruise tourism sector will remain a top priority for the Government of Dubai.

#Dubai's cruise season kicked off with the arrival of luxury ship Mein Schiff 6. 126 ship calls expected to bring in over 500,000 passengers and crews during the season. pic.twitter.com/5Fph6dYoyX

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 25, 2021

#Dubai, the region’s cruise hub, rolled out a grand welcome to the 2,000 passengers and crew on board Mein Schiff 6. The 2021-2022 season is expected to welcome 126 ship calls and over 500,000 cruise visitors, contributing further to the momentum of Dubai’s tourism recovery. pic.twitter.com/nspogAr856

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 25, 2021

The arrival of the first cruise vessel in Dubai comes just weeks after the Cruise Arabia Alliance, a grouping of regional cruise bodies including Dubai attended the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami with the aim of further enhancing the cruise tourism industry in the region.

Dubai’s popularity as a cruise destination has increased significantly over the past decade, resulting in the world’s biggest cruise lines consistently including the emirate as a port of call in their cruise itineraries while some luxury liners have chosen Dubai as their homeport.

The 2021-2022 cruise season will see increased efforts to promote cruise tourism with Dubai well served by world-class infrastructure and facilities such as the award-winning Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, Mina Rashid that is capable of handling seven mega-cruise vessels at the same time, as well as the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal featuring the most advanced facilities including seaport passenger boarding bridges, equipped to process over 3,000 passengers per hour.