The cruise quay at Rashid Port, Dubai received 4 cruise ships simultaneously on Friday, December 29, MSC Splendida, Costa Mediterrania, AIDAstella and Mein Schiff 5. It is the first time this has been achieved.
The multiple arrivals confirmed port's readiness to meet the demand in the cruise sector and the emirate’s plans to target 1 million cruise visitors by 2020, a statement said. 21411 tourists as well as 3849 crew were onboard the liners, it added.
During the current season 2016-2017 that started last October and continues until April the emirate of Dubai received 157 cruise ships.
This represents a 18% increase compared to last season with 133 cruise ships. The number of cruise passengers grew 15% to reach 650,000 in 2016-17 season.
The port can receive 7 cruise ships simultaneously on its 1,900-metre quay and capacity of 18,000 visitors via cruise terminals 2 and 3. Terminal 3 is the largest of its type in the world with a capacity of 14,000 passengers.