IT WON'T be long before Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) Brilliance of the Seas arrives at her new home in Dubai.
The ship is scheduled to dock in its home port of Dubai on January 18, 2010 followed by calls to Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, marking RCI’s official entry into the Middle Eastern market.
Due to the huge increase in expected passenger traffic, all of the ports are making provisions to ensure suitable facilities are in place to handle the increase in visitor numbers.
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce (DTCM), which manages the cruise terminal, predicts that the number of cruise liner passengers in the emirate, both inbound and outbound, will reach over 260,000 this year; and next year Dubai expects a further 99 ships carrying over 383,000 passengers.
Hamad bin Mejren, executive director, business tourism, DTCM, said that special attention will be given to the cruise terminal’s design. “Traditional domes, arches and carvings are the major architectural elements that will constitute the exterior facades. The new cruise terminal spanning an area of 3,800sq/m is designed to have the capacity to handle more than three to four ships simultaneously.
“It is expected to be operational by January 2010 and until then a temporary set-up will be made to cater to the needs of the cruise ships calling in at Dubai.”