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Dubai cruise tourism ready to sail with new safety protocol

Dubai - The cruise sector in Dubai has always shown great potential and the sustainable year-on-year growth.

With the cruise industry getting ready to set sail again, Dubai has assured cruise tourists of the highest global safety standards at every stage of their travel journey from the time they disembark in the emirate.
Addressing a webinar to discuss the resumption of the cruise season 2020/2021, Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai Tourism, said a draft safety protocol for the cruise industry is in the pipeline as the emirate is "open for business and looking forward to receiving tourists for the new cruise season by the fall."
"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," said Almarri.
He said precautionary measures and safety protocols that are being formulated for cruise tourism would be implemented when cruise ships arrive in Dubai during the forthcoming season. "We can assure cruise tourists of the highest global safety standards at every stage of their travel journey from the time they disembark in Dubai to the point they depart from our cruise terminals," Almarri said.
The webinar was organised by P&O Marinas, a DP World Company, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Emirates Airlines. A draft safety protocol for the cruise industry is in the pipeline and will be shared soon, the event heard.
Almarri said the cruise sector in Dubai has always shown great potential and the sustainable year-on-year growth that have been achieved is due to the continued support of partners such as DP World, and Emirates. "Since the reopening of the city to tourists on July 7, we are encouraged by the response and continue to welcome visitors to the city," he said.
"We expect to see cruise ships bringing tourists back to Dubai once all the relevant protocols are in place. Dubai Tourism has also put together an impressive excursion itinerary as part of efforts to position the city as the cruise tourism destination of choice for international cruise travelers," said Almarri.
Mohammed Al Mannaei, CEO, P&O Marinas and executive director, Mina Rashid, said the health and safety of all citizens and guests is a top priority. "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," said Al Mannaei.
Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer at Emirates Airline, said Emirates Airline is 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 the required measures. The message is that we are back proficiently to business." - issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com