Dubai: Talk about unfathomable financial growth.
Dubai tourism officials are still trying to grasp the sensational spike in cruiseliner visits to the city, which has led to a huge jump in passengers from 6,900 in 2000 to an expected 325,000 this year - a big increase in the last decade.
To brace for an even larger avalanche of 575,000 cruise tourists by 2015, Dubai officials threw open the doors to the new multi-million dollar Dubai Cruise Terminal on Tuesday as Italian cruiseline operator Costa christened its new 450 million euro liner Deliziosa nearby at its new Dubai home at Port Rashid.
Traditional design
A decade's worth of hard work by Dubai to bring tourists to the region has paid off, said Hamad Bin Mejren, Executive Director of Business Tourism at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), in an exclusive interview.
"We are extremely excited to have opened our new cruise terminal," Bin Mejren told XPRESS at the traditionally designed building in which disembarking tourists will clear customs, shop for souvenirs and bone up on Dubai's attractions at various information kiosks inside the 3,450 square-metre portside facility.
"It was built very quickly. We started construction last October and it is now open. Four-and-a-half-months' building time shows that we are committed to supporting the tourism sector here in Dubai," Bin Mejren said. "The new terminal will help tourism make a serious impact on our economy. Every cruise ship that comes to Dubai brings visitors who want to explore and spend money."
An invitation-only visit to the new terminal on Tuesday revealed a raft of large cruiseliners moored within easy walking distance from the new terminal.
Dock view
Docked liners included the newly blessed Deliziosa, Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas as well as Nakheel's Queen Elizabeth II which is set for permanent berthing at Palm Jumeirah as a floating hotel and residence.
