Dubai cruise summit maps strategies to inspire Middle East markets

At the inaugural Connections Cruise Arabia Leadership Summit in Dubai, senior industry leaders gathered to tackle the region’s most pressing challenge: how to grow the Gulf cruise market, where less than 1% of the Middle East population has taken a cruise, far short of the 5% penetration threshold that gives cruise lines confidence to permanently deploy ships in a region.

Taking place on 18 September aboard the QE2, the summit brought together 200 cruise industry stakeholders, with the ‘Inspiring Middle East Markets’ panel exploring strategies to spark regional awareness and enthusiasm for cruising and grow the local market by encouraging a shift from resort to cruise holidays.

Experts on the panel, including senior leaders from dnata Travel, Aroya Cruises, Royal Caribbean Arabia, Cruise Xplore, Cruise Masters, Transcend Cruises and CLIA, agreed the Gulf’s fundamentals are compelling: a young, affluent population, a thriving family and group travel culture, strong air connectivity and significant government investment in tourism infrastructure.

“There is a real appetite here for luxury, prestige and novelty,” noted Lakshmi Durai, CEO of Cruise Xplore and panel moderator.