Dubai Crown Prince Opens New Dubai Cruise Terminal

The new Dubai Cruise Terminal was formally opened by the Dubai Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Tuesday, in the presence of VIPs and officials. During the course of the festivities the naming ceremony for a passenger cruise ship - Costa Deliziosa - also took place.

Developed and operated by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) at the Port Rashid complex, the new facility, with a capacity to accommodate four cruise ships simultaneously, is expected to give a big boost to the high-yielding cruise tourism segment.

The façade of the new Cruise Terminal building is based upon Dubai’s contemporary design and reflects emirate’s rich maritime heritage and present a strong positive image of Emirati hospitality. Special attention has been given to the exterior and interior of the terminal. Traditional domes, arches and carvings are the major architectural elements that constitute the exterior facades.

The terminal has a tourist support infrastructure which includes facilities like money exchange, ATMs, post office, duty free shop, souvenir shops, gift shops, and business centre with free internet access, Wi-Fi, VIP Majlis and toilets.

The DTCM has set-up information counters inside the cruise terminal which is manned round the clock when ships are in-port to cater the needs and inquiries of the passengers and facilitating them with free maps and broachers about Dubai. In addition, the terminal houses offices for representatives from other government bodies such as immigration, customs and police.

The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, said, “The opening of state-of-the-art facility is a major milestone in our tourism journey. The Cruise tourism plays a crucial role in the overall growth and development of the tourism industry in the emirate. We realized its importance long ago and created the infrastructure and services that were needed to tap its potential. The new terminal will meet the increase demand that has been recorded in cruise tourists to Dubai.”

In 2009, Dubai played a host to 87 cruise ships that brought 261,000 cruise tourists. This year, Dubai will be hosting 120 ships with over 325,000 passengers. Next year, the terminal is expected to receive 135 ships with 375,000 passengers followed by 150 ships with 425,000 passengers in 2012, 165 ships with 475,000 passengers in 2013 and 180 ships with 525,000 passengers in 2014 and 195 ships with 575,000 passengers in 2015.

Costa Deliziosa

Weighing 92,600 gross tonnage and with a total guest capacity of 2,826, the new Costa Deliziosa has been built at a total cost of 450 million euros. During winter 2010/11 the Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa – Costa’s top of the range offer – will be offering 7-day cruises in the Persian Gulf with departure from Dubai and stopovers in Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

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