Dubai is anticipating a major increase in
cruise tourism this year. In March, three major cruise ships—Queen
Elizabeth 2, Seven Seas Voyager, and Silver Cloud—called on
Dubai for a two-day tour of the emirate. Awadh Al Seghayer,
Acting Manager of the Dubai Cruise Terminal, noted that the
“arrival of the cruise ships is expected to enhance our image
of an ideal year-round business and leisure destination.”
The emirate expects 33 percent growth in
cruise passengers compared with the previous year, which hosted
close to 8,000 cruise tourists. As many as 16 cruise ships are
scheduled to arrive in Dubai in 2005.
The four-year-old ship-shaped cruise terminal
located on a 335-metre quay offering the capacity to berth two
ships simultaneously, while the terminal itself is around 3,300
square meters in size.
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 Dubai government tourism body.
Dubai emerged formally on the world cruise
map in 1993 when it welcomed a cruise ship with 703 passengers
on board. Current marketing efforts are targeting cruise tourists
from top three markets of the UK, US and Germany.
In a recent survey, an overwhelming 80 percent
of cruise passengers in Dubai revealed that they would extend
their visit to the emirate during their next visit; and 95 percent
said they would recommend others to visit Dubai to enjoy its
all-appealing facilities, pristine beaches and unparalleled
shopping options.
In 2003, Cherbourg Transatlantic Terminal
remains a testimony to the great period of the liners and of
the European emigration to North America between the 1930s and
1950s. Cherbourg was one of the main ports in Europe with up
to 1,000 liner calls a year.
Originally built in 1930 but demolished at
the end of World War Two, the transatlantic terminal was rebuilt
in the 1950s as an identical replica apart from clock tower.
A few years ago, the railway facility was
completely refurbished and transformed to host “La Cité de la
Mer”, a unique cultural and scientific center for tourists dedicated
to human submarine adventure.
Work was undertaken in 2004 for the maiden
call of the QM2 at Cherbourg included renovating the passenger
hall to feature a unique selection of film clips showing celebrities
and other travelers. This year, construction of a new façade
with access to
the passenger lounge that will include all
modern facilities for passengers and their luggage is underway
and is expected to be finished by spring 2006. New facilities
include check-in desks, X-ray screening, information offices,
custom and immigration offices, lifts and escalators, and a
restaurant and bar. For embarkation, there
will be direct access to the ship through two covered gangways;
in disembarkation, passengers will have direct access to the
shore excursion buses or to the taxi and shuttle buses to the
town center.
Cherbourg Transatlantic Cruise terminal is
the only building of this period still in operation in Europe.
The new ‘Historic Ports of Massachusetts’
marketing initiative seeks to make New Bedford, Fall River,
Salem, Gloucester and Boston a top destination with cruise-line
planners.
Boston already serves as one of the leading
ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, with myriad attractions.
Visitors to Salem can learn about the witch trials and see the
major art collections of the Peabody Essex Museum. New Bedford
is famous for its whaling history while nearby Fall River offers
a Maritime Heritage Trail and Battleship Cove, which offers
the world’s largest assembly of historic naval ships. Gloucester,
to the north of Boston is America’s oldest seaport and the fishing
town used in the 2002 film “The Perfect Storm.” ‘There’s a wealth
of existing shore excursion opportunities and we will develop
more,’ said Capt. Greg Ketchen, a 30-year Coast Guard veteran
who is now is spearheading the historic ports initiative. Ketchen
works for the city of Gloucester under the auspices of Massachusetts’
Seaport Council. Plans include proposing new itineraries, providing
‘interpreters’ to sail aboard cruise ships and the creation
of printed port guides or videos to show on cabin television.
The port of Dover
has launched a new internet service for potential cruise passengers—
www.doverport.co.uk. The Cruise Finder,
found on the port’s website details up to 100 cruise holidays
that begin at Dover in 2005. The site has the facility to explore
the options by departure dates, cruise line and ship, together
with itineraries. Web links are provided to the cruise lines
for more detailed information and reservations. “Nearly half
a million passengers embarked on a cruise holiday from a UK
port in 2003 and the figure is expected to have grown in 2004.
About three quarters were British,” says Kate O’Hara, the port’s
head of commercial and marketing. ‘The Cruise Finder takes the
hassle out of finding a cruise by providing options that fit
any set of requirements.”
A total of 12
cruise operators are currently scheduled to use Dover as an
embarkation or disembarkation port, or both, this year with
the first vessel to cruise from Dover —Fred Olsen’s Braemar—on
a three-night trip starting April 23
Smaller ports
and islands along the German North Sea and Baltic coast are
becoming increasing popular as cruise destinations. Already,
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Peter Deilmann Cruises have called at
destinations such as the Islands of Sylt and Borkum and the
cities of Flensburg and Sassnitz. New destinations scheduled
for upcoming calls include the islands of Amrum and Pellworm.
Next year Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa is going to visit the
picturesque summer resort of Timmendorfer Strand near Lübeck
for the first time. It is expected that visits to Baltic and
North Sea destinations will have a big appeal to North Americans
on niche cruises.
Ninety-seven cruise liners have already registered
to dock in Vienna in the coming season against eighty-four last
year. Together with hydrofoil traffic, these ships brought over
150,000 passengers to Vienna.
In Budapest more than 1,000 dockings by cruise
ships were recorded, with three to four bus excursions per ship.
To accommodate growing demand, five new docking facilities are
planned. By 2008 a new passenger terminal affording convenient
access for pedestrians to the old town will open near the parliament
building.
New pontoons are also under construction
at Komárom and Esztergom that are scheduled for completion in
2007.
Croatia reports positive trends from its
Danube region. Improvement of the area's tourism infrastructure
has been given a high priority: passenger arrivals in Vukovar
since completion of the port's new pontoon pier have expanded
from just 900 in 2003 to 9,000 in 2004.
Serbia has announced that the new passenger
terminal on the Sava is to open in May 2005. In Novi Sad the
new Slobodan Bridge is scheduled for completion in mid-2005.
Romania welcomed 62,000 guests to its Danube
delta, thus again breaking the record.
Not only did cruise traffic record impressive
growth last year, but the numbers of guests along the Danube's
shores grew too. The main attraction continues to be the Danube
Bicycle Trail, which now runs almost without interruption from
the Black Sea to Budapest. A joint initiative launched by the
Working Community of Danubian Regions and the Danube Tourist
Commission aims to extend the bike trail all the way from the
Black Forest to the Black Sea.
Investment in new terminal facilities, passenger
berths and cruise-related works continues to grow throughout
the Mediterranean. At MedCruise member ports, numbering 69 across
the region, more than €200 million is estimated to be spent
in the next three years, In 2005, anew €1 million terminal and
dedicated cruise berth inaugurated at Ancona, Italy. In Barcelona
a new Terminal B, costing over €10 million, will be ready for
the start of this summer, as will refurbishment work on Terminal
C.
New terminals will also open in 2005 at the
Turkish port of Kusadasi and Malta’s Valletta (part of a €25
million upgrade of Grand Harbour). Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea
shores is undergoing a €3.25 million refurbishment, which will
be completed in May. Venice is investing in a new elevated walkway/new
covered parking area; and Dubrovnik will start on dredging and
quay extension work this year funded by a €25m loan from the
EBRD.
In 2006, new berths will open at Livorno;
while Split and Malaga will both open new terminals. In Barcelona
Terminal A’s refurbishment will be completed and Costa’s €8m
Terminal D is expected to be ready. ‘Mediterranean ports are
investing a considerable amount of money to meet the demands
of the cruise industry with quality services, security requirements
and dedicated facilities,’ MedCruise president Juan Madrid was
quoted as saying in a recent Seatrade Insider article.
“These investments are a positive proof of the trust that not
only ports, but also shipowners, have in the cruise business
in our region.”
Other MedCruise ports planning major upgrades
include Volos (new terminal); Tarragona (new terminal plus two
berths); Portoferraio (new terminal and quay extension); Portimao
(quay extension); Ravenna (new terminal); Catania (passenger
terminal and pier extension); Palermo (€7m new terminal/berthing
facilities) and Alanya is extending its jetty by 200mtr to accommodate
the largest ships.
In Limassol, a new terminal is envisaged
for end 2007, whilst Tunis La Goulette is planning an additional
berth and new terminal. Cagliari is spending €25m on extending
a pier which will be ready in 2008. And the Balearic Islands
Port Authority has approved over €50m for cruise-related works
in its 2004-08 investment plan. In addition, Piraeus spent almost
€30m (excluding security) refurbishing and upgrading the entire
port infrastructure for the 2004 Olympics.
Website: www.medcruise.com
MedCruise, based in Barcelona, is the
Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Formed in Rome on
June 11, 1996, Medcruise aims to promote the interests of Mediterranean
ports whilst developing and fostering good relations and collaboration
among all cruise ports of the world through the exchange of
information. Today, the association represents 69 ports around
the Mediterranean region.
MedCruise member ports: http://www.medcruise.com/page.asp?n=memberports
