The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has announced that a large cruise ship, Albatros, has arrived in Dubai for a two-day tour with 958 passengers and crew members, mostly Germans and Austrians. Traditional heritage display of weaving, tool making house building by local ladies and men were demonstrated at the DTCM-operated Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid complex. Traditional Arabic coffee, Gahwah, and dates were served to passengers on arrival.Staffs were at hand at the information counter to assist passengers with any inquiries as well as giving out maps of Dubai in different languages and brochures on Dubai.Dubai is expected to welcome 50 cruise ships at its state-of-the-art cruise terminal during the cruise tourism’s winter season running until April 2007. Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, DTCM Director General, said: “The arrival of a record number of cruise ships over a six month period speaks volumes about the status that Dubai enjoys on the world cruise tourism map.”
The DTCM officials are coordinating with the other government organizations like the Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) and Dubai Customs to handle the winter season rush. The ship-shaped terminal, opened in 2001, measures 3300 square metres and is able to accommodate two ships simultaneously on a 335-metre quay. The Dubai Cruise Terminal is the world’s first to receive ISO-9002 certification and also the world’s only cruise facility run by the government tourism body.