Dubai’s world famous Cruise industry is charting its path to swing back into full action. A virtual seminar conducted by the business leaders in the sector echoed the confidence to bounce back in the forthcoming season, with effective safety measures in place.
The seminar was Chaired by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, and Mohammed Al Mannaei, CEO, P&O Marinas and Executive Director, Mina Rashid.
The participants took note of the effective safety protocols put in place by the Emirate authorities. Dubai has assured global travellers that comprehensive safety measures have been put in place to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. With the reopening of many public and private facilities, amenities and attractions, Dubai recently launched the DUBAI ASSURED stamp, a compliance programme – which is also applicable to the cruise industry – to certify and recognise hotels, tourism and retail establishments and attractions that have implemented all public health protocols for the prevention and management of the pandemic. Dubai has also been awarded the Safe Travels safety stamp by the World Travel & Tourism Council, further enhancing its position as one of the world’s safest destinations.
Almarri commented, “We have been working with various cruise liners and relevant authorities to ensure that we are all aligned with the efforts being made under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai to restart the economy with great emphasis on establishing detailed health and safety guidelines for each sector. The precautionary measures and safety protocols that are being formulated for cruise tourism will be implemented when cruise ships arrive in Dubai during the forthcoming season.”
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“The cruise sector in Dubai has always shown great potential and the sustainable year-on-year growth that we have achieved is due to the continued support of our partners such as DP World, GDRFA and Emirates. Since the reopening of the city to tourists on 7th July, we are encouraged by the response and continue to welcome visitors to the city. We expect to see cruise ships bringing tourists back to Dubai once all the relevant protocols are in place,” he added.
From his part Mohammed Al Mannaei said, “The cruise sector is the fastest growing sector in the travel industry, so we know consumers want to see it back in action as quickly as possible…We are also looking forward to seeing our landmark Mina Rashid Marina welcome cruise ships again. We have been monitoring the situation closely and feel confident we can assure customer safety.”
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates Airline, said, “A far as Emirates Airline is concerned we are fully committed to backing the cruise liner business and the Dubai strategy. We are ramping up our weekly services and regarding Europe, where the cruise business mainly comes from, we serve 24 destinations, this will be ramped up to 26 in September and we are considering opening more gateways in the near future. In terms of safety and health on board we have taken all required measures. The message is that we are back proficiently to business.”
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