2012 saw an encouraging number of 407,000 cruise passengers visit the Emirate, while 420,000 passengers are predicted to visit over the 2013-2014 season according to previous DTCM estimates. 12 additional cruise liners are also expected to enter the industry.
"The 2012-13 cruise season reached new heights," stated Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of DTCM. "We are proud to announce 93 confirmed ship calls this season, which include 63 home porting ship calls: 27 from Costa, 17 from Aida, and 19 from MSC ships. We're also delighted to welcome seven maiden ship calls, a reflection of Dubai’s burgeoning appeal as a cruise hub,"
The predicted ship calls by DTCM earlier this year were 17 ships higher than the result. Given the 105 ship calls in 2012, it remains to be seen whether the prediction of an increase in 2013 holds merit.
