CruiseXplore Middle East successfully hosted its Cruise Workshop 2025 in the UAE, drawing participation from over 80 travel trade professionals across the region.
The annual
event, exclusively designed for travel agents and industry partners, continues
to build momentum as a premier platform for cruise education, engagement, and
collaboration.
The
workshop showcased a diverse portfolio of cruise offerings — from premium ocean
cruises and ultra-luxury voyages to culturally immersive expedition journeys
and exciting regional cruise options — highlighting the breadth of cruise
experiences available to Middle East travellers.
Lakshmi
Durai, CEO of CruiseXplore Middle East, inaugurated the workshop with a warm
welcome, setting the tone for a day of interactive learning and meaningful
networking.
“The
atmosphere at the workshop was electric, filled with insightful discussions,
dynamic networking, and a real enthusiasm for learning. A standout moment was
our interactive Cruise Quiz, which saw active participation and rewarded
attendees with exciting prizes — including shopping vouchers and a
complimentary cruise voucher.” said Durai.
The event
featured exclusive updates and sales insights from globally renowned cruise
lines, including: Aroya Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line
(NCL), Quark Expeditions & Swan Hellenic. Representatives from each cruise
brand delivered targeted presentations, providing travel agents with valuable
tools, the latest updates, and practical selling tips to help them better serve
their clients and grow their cruise business.
“We are
deeply grateful to our partner cruise lines and our media partners for their
unwavering commitment and support to our mission of educating and empowering
the travel trade. A special thank you goes out to every travel professional
whose active participation made this workshop a tremendous success”, added
Durai.
Commenting
on their participation in CruiseXplore’s Cruise Workshop 2025, the cruise line
partners said:
Ibrahim
Husainoun, Team Leader for International Markets at Aroya Cruises, remarked: “I
had the privilege of being part of an insightful & fruitful workshop
representing Aroya Cruises to showcase the Remarkably Arabian experiences &
offering in addition to launching our new sailing seasons. Such initiatives
from CruiseXplore are driving great exposure to the horizons of the Cruise
industry within our region.”
Mohamed Saeed, Managing Director of Royal Caribbean Arabia, was pleased to join the CruiseXplore workshop alongside Andrew Gomes. “We showcased Celebrity Cruises’ brand vision, the upcoming Celebrity Xcel debut in Europe 2026, and plans for the 2027 river cruise collection. Our thanks and appreciation to Lakshmi and the entire team for having us and for organising such an engaging and insightful session” he said.
Representing Swan Hellenic, Lyudmila Kiseleva, Head of Sales, expressed enthusiasm for participating in the Cruise Workshop organised by CruiseXplore. She said “It was a pleasure connecting with fellow industry professionals, sharing our passion for cultural expedition cruising, and exploring new opportunities to inspire today’s curious travellers. A big thank you to the organisers for a well-curated event and to all partners who stopped by to learn more about our journeys to the world’s most remote destinations.” -TradeArabia News Service
