Spanish cruise line Pullmantur Cruises and Dubai Cruise Tourism, the cruise arm of Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has hosted more than 100 travel agents from Portugal and Spain to showcase Dubai as a cruise destination.

The strategic FAM trip was coordinated with DTCM’s cruise partners DP World and Emirates Airline, who are part of the newly-formed Dubai Cruise Committee, which aims to raise the profile of Dubai as a global hub for cruising.

The trip aimed to provide the Spanish and Portuguese travel agents with first-hand experience of the city as a cruise destination, enabling them to write about and raise awareness of and extensively promote Dubai-based cruise itineraries in their respective markets.

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Although the travel agents will be promoting all seven of the cruise lines homeporting in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the coming season, in the Spanish market the dominant cruise line is Pullmantur, and they are eager to promote their inaugural Middle East cruise season.

Pullmantur are basing their ship Horizon in the Arabian Gulf, cruising roundtrip out of Dubai on a series of 7-night cruises from early December 2018 until mid-March 2019.

The group of travel agents took a tour of the two Dubai Cruise Terminals in Port Rashid, and experienced some of the varied shore excursions on offer for cruise tourists in Dubai.

Activities included everything from visits to cultural and heritage sites, to trips to modern attractions and the chance to experience Dubai’s beautiful beaches.

The FAM trip comes shortly after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Dubai’s strategic network of leading cruise tourism partners; Dubai Tourism, DP World UAE Region FZE, Emirates Airline, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, and Dubai Customs.

Travel agents on the FAM trip at Dubai Cruise Terminal 2.

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This collective agreement formed the Dubai Cruise Committee and marked the implementation of a collaborative framework designed to consolidate the city’s position as ‘cruise hub of the region.

Dubai has established itself as a favoured destination amongst international cruise lines with more than 625,000 cruise tourists visiting the city during the 2017/2018 season (the Dubai cruise season runs between November and March).

Looking ahead, Dubai’s cruise industry is set for another strong performance during the upcoming 2018/2019 season, with 725,000 cruise tourists expected to embark cruise ships sailing from Dubai Cruise Terminal.

Dubai Cruise Tourism has a strategic goal of welcoming one million cruise tourists by the 2020/2021 season and serving as the winter home port for 10 of the world’s leading international cruise lines.