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Cruise tourism's contribution to Dubai's tourism growth due to grow in 2014

Details: Category: Ports & Destinations; Published on Monday, 13 May 2013 19:44; Written by Teijo Niemelä

As the 2012-2013 cruise season comes to a close with the Sea Princess from Princess Cruises due on 10th June 2013, plans are already in place to increase the sector’s contribution to the growth of tourism in Dubai, in-line with the vision to attract 20 million visitors per year to the Emirate by 2020.

The 2013-2014 season will see Dubai welcome MSC Cruises as its newest home porting partner with the arrival of MSC Lirica in November. During the season, the cruise liner will make 20 turnaround calls to Dubai bringing in over 60,000 passengers. MSC Cruises will join Costa Cruises and AIDA in employing Dubai as their home port in the region. Further, more than 20 world-class cruise lines currently include Dubai on their itineraries.

Today the Emirate’s cruise sector plays host to over 94 nationalities from around the world with key markets being Germany (38.18%), UK (13.75%), and Italy (11.71%). During the 2012-2013 season, Dubai hosted 407,825 passengers, an increase from 396,554 in the previous season. Numbers are set to rise during the 2013-14 season as 110 ships carrying approximately 420,000 passengers are expected this year.

Looking further ahead, the 2014-2015 season promises to bring even more growth with TUI Cruises resuming its operations in the region: Mein Schiff 2 will operate seven-night long Gulf cruises from Dubai, with destinations expected to include Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Bahrain. The liner will have a throughput of over 75,000 cruise tourist from its 20 turnaround calls to Dubai. Additionally, Dubai will host a “Double Call” when both the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth will port in Dubai on the same day – the first time ever that the two Cunard cruise liners have arrived in Dubai simultaneously for a full passenger turnaround.

Speaking about the growth in the sector, Hamad Bin Mejren, Executive Director for Business Tourism in DTCM said, "Cruise tourism offers a fantastic way to travel that is very cost effective without compromising luxury, comfort, or variety in experience. It’s a sector which is stimulating increased travel among tourists both from in the region and beyond. Our objectives are to grow cruise tourism both in terms of international visitors using Dubai as an embarkation point and residents of the UAE taking cruises around the region."

With annual income of the Cruise Tourism sector expected to grow to approximately 840 million dirhams per year by 2015, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) believes that cruise tourism is a key growth sector that will bring great economic benefits to the region, increasing overall expenditure in the tourism sector and boosting the economy. Expanding the growth of cruise tourism is one of the key drivers in attracting 20 million visitors per year to Dubai by 2020.

Commenting on DTCM’s role, Bin Mejren said: "The cruise tourism sector in the region is strong and its continued growth remains extremely promising, bringing with it huge economic and development opportunities. Considering this, the DTCM has played, and continues to play a significant role in attracting interest from international cruise line operators to organise regular itineraries from Dubai to the region's ports. Of course, these efforts are supported by Dubai's already alluring tourism attractions, its excellent air connectivity, its beautiful beaches, hotels and international shopping malls, and its straightforward visa procedures."

Dubai Cruise Tourism is availing itself of the exposure that comes at the region’s pre-eminent travel expo, which is celebrating its 20th edition and is welcoming over 2,500 exhibitors from 87 countries. Dubai Cruise Tourism is co-exhibiting with five large stakeholders in the region’s cruise tourism sector, the cruise line operators Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, and inbound tourism destination management specialists DNATA Gulf Ventures, Orient Tours, and Sharaf Tours.

The timing of ATM 2013 is opportune for Dubai Cruise Tourism, which forms an integral part of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing charged with the promotion of the Emirate as a cruise tourism destination, both regionally and globally, as well as the management and operation of Dubai Cruise Terminals.

Holland America to introduce calls at Banana Coast in Honduras

Details: Category: Ports & Destinations; Published on Monday, 13 May 2013 13:35; Written by Kari Reinikainen

Holland America Line will become the first cruise line to schedule regular calls at the first mainland Honduras cruise port at Trujillo, the port said in a statement.

Holland America Line's 1,260-passenger Ryndam is slated to call at Banana Coast 11 times between 2014 and 2015 on its western Caribbean itineraries. The ship's Nov. 19, 2014, call is Banana Coast's first scheduled visit by a cruise ship, followed by the Dec. 17, 2014, call from Silversea Cruises' Silver Cloud.

Themed "Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea," the $30 million Banana Coast project is the newest cruise destination in the western Caribbean. Construction on the passenger-reception and shopping center was completed in February and a full slate of shore excursions has been designed. Future plans call for construction of a two-berth, post-Panamax pier.

"Having a premium cruise line like Holland America Line recognize the exciting opportunities of regularly calling at Banana Coast is a testament to the work we've put into making the port the hottest new destination in the Caribbean," said Randy Jorgensen, general manager of Grande Trujillo Authoridad, which owns the port. "Banana Coast has so much to offer and we look forward to welcoming Holland America Line guests to our beautiful shores."

In March 2012 Banana Coast developers unveiled a diverse shore excursion program designed to offer something for everyone, including cultural, historical, soft-adventure and eco-tour offerings.

Malmö inaugurates new cruise terminal

Details: Category: Ports & Destinations; Published on Sunday, 12 May 2013 16:44; Written by Teijo Niemelä

On Saturday Malmö's new cruise ship terminal in Frihamnen was inaugurated as the cruise ship Empress docked in the city for the first time. The 35 000 travellers arriving each season will bring a proper upswing to the tourism industry.

"This is an important and long-awaited step towards making Malmö an established cruise destination. Through this development we have created additional space for the jumbo cruise ships in Copenhagen," says Johan Röstin, CEP for CMP, which is anticipating more small and mid-sized cruise traffic in the long term.

The new cruise terminal was inaugurated by Kent Andersson, Chairman of the local government authority. The old wharf storehouse M 16 in Frihamnen has been converted into a cruise terminal. Recently a new cycle track and walkway was completed from Frihamnen to Malmö City.

In connection with each cruise ship docking around 1 800 Spanish cruise passengers arrive at Frihamnen via Malmö Airport. A similar number of travellers disembark from their cruise on the same day, returning to Madrid and Barcelona on Pullman Tours' flights. This passenger flow generates many new jobs in the form of, for example, guides, coach drivers, check-in personnel, welcoming personnel and baggage handling.

"This is without doubt one of the most positive things to have happened to tourism in Malmö. The cruise traffic strengthens the tourism industry in the form of jobs and tourism-related income, and the city as an international attraction. Through the onshore tour programme that the travellers can avail themselves of, other parts of the Öresund region have the opportunity to create an image for themselves," says Johan Hermansson, Director of Tourism.

CMP, Malmö Airport and Pullmantours have been collaborating closely for a long time to create a good cruise product, where the transfer between aircraft and ship have been in focus.

"Together we have created an attractive offer which is comfortable for the passengers. This was what tipped the balance for Pullman Tours to finally choose Malmö," explains Peter Weinhandl, Airport Director at Malmö Airport.

The contract runs to the end of 2015.

Hamburg celebrated 824th port anniversary with 13 cruise ships

Details: Category: Ports & Destinations; Published on Monday, 13 May 2013 12:25; Written by Kari Reinikainen

The German port of Hamburg celebrated from the 9 to 12 May the 824th anniversary of its foundation, when more than 1.5 million people visited the world’s largest port festival along the harbour front, Hamburg Cruise Centre said in a statement.

The cruise industry also used the Elbe River as its catwalk and showed stage during the port anniversary festival. Highlights such as the naming of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten’s new Europa 2; the rocking final of TUI Cruises’ “Full Metal Cruise”; the AIDA firework display and the arrival of a total of 13 cruise ships in the Port of Hamburg made the Hanseatic city North Germany’s cruise hot spot last weekend.

A particular highlight this year was the christening of the new Europa 2 on the Elbe River off Hamburg’s prestigious Blankenese district on Friday evening. The ship was greeted with a firework display before embarking on its maiden voyage to Amsterdam followed by a cruise around Western Europe.

The Hanseatic city is in greater demand than ever by cruise lines and their guests. The 2013 cruise season will see a total of 177 ship’s calls and half a million passengers in Hamburg. The Port of Hamburg will thus again be the most frequented German Turn Around Port, it said.

Seattle cruise season starts, $381 million revenues in sight

Details: Category: Ports & Destinations; Published on Thursday, 02 May 2013 12:26; Written by Kari Reinikainen

The 2013 cruise season in Seattle gets underway today at Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal with the arrival of Crystal Cruise’s Symphony. This season has 188 cruise ship calls scheduled, bringing an estimated 852,000 revenue passengers through Seattle, the port said in a statement.

“Seattle cruise means thousands of jobs and millions in revenue for our region,” said Port Commission President Tom Albro. “Each of these vessel calls generates $2.1 million for the local economy.”

“A major goal of the Century Agenda is to double the amount of revenue cruise produces in the next 25 years,” said Commissioner John Creighton. “We aim to accomplish this by encouraging passengers to spend more time and money in Washington state while visiting here.”

This is the first year that Oceana Cruise Lines’ Regatta will be calling Seattle, along with Celebrity Cruise’s Solstice, the largest cruise ship to call at the Port of Seattle, with a capacity of 2,850 passengers.

Seattle’s cruise business—currently leading all cruise homeports on the west coast in passenger volume—is responsible for more than 4,000 jobs, $381 million in annual business revenue, and $16.8 million annually in state and local tax revenues.

All cruise ships that homeport in Seattle use either low-sulfur fuel or plug into shore side electrical power while docked. Smith Cove Cruise Terminal can provide shore power for two ships at once, eliminating the need to run engines while at berth.

A Memorandum of Agreement between The Port of Seattle, the Washington Department of Ecology and the Northwest and Canada Cruiseship Association sets strong standards exceeding federal requirements for the treatment of waste discharges from cruise ships operating in Washington waters.

Smith Cove Cruise Terminal and Bell Street Pier provide panoramic views of the city’s skyline, Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. Both terminals feature concierge services, luggage storage, on-board airline check-in, rental cars, and secure parking facilities.