Dubai expects to see double-digit growth in cruise ship passenger numbers at both of its ports during the coming season.
In the coming months, up to 150 cruise ships are expected to call in Dubai at Mina Rashid and Dubai Harbour.
The season started on Thursday with the arrival of luxury liner Mein Schiff 2, which docked at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid.
Dubai will host the Resilient Lady Ship, operated by Virgin Voyages, for the first time, with the vessel set to embark on two routes from the city this season.
Major cruise companies MSC Cruises, TUI Cruises, Aida Cruises, Costa Cruises and Ponant Cruises will operate cruises from Dubai, while cruise lines such as Cunard, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Cordelia Cruises will also operate routes via the emirate.
Abdulla Binhabtoor, chief portfolio management officer at Shamal Holding, the owner and curator of Dubai Harbour, said the 2022/23 season saw “encouraging momentum for growth and development in the cruise sector”.
“Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal welcomed 300,000 passengers this past cruise season, roughly four times the numbers from our debut season, with a 40 per cent increase in ship calls,” he said.
“For 2023/24, we are encouraged by the number of bigger vessels operated by renowned companies coming to Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.”
The twin terminals, located on a pier stretch of more than 910 metres, are designed to process more than 3,250 passengers an hour.
Hamza Mustafa, chief operating officer at DP World, which owns Mina Rashid, said it expects a significant increase for the 2023-2024 season.
“Dubai has become a major port of embarkation and a popular call for cruise lines in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf and we expect to record another strong season, with 28 per cent more visitors forecasted in comparison to 2022-2023.”
Mina Rashid can handle seven mega-cruise vessels or 25,000 passengers at once. The port’s Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, the world’s largest single covered cruise terminal facility, is capable of handling 14,000 passengers a day.
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Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
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56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
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55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
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HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
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Second leg
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Games on BeIN Sports
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1,000 VFX artists
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The flights
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The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
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