The MV Astor owned by Passat Ship Management in Cyprus and operated by Trans Ocean Tours Bremen called at Dubai's Port Rashid yesterday, January 11, and will sail into Fujairah on January 12.
The Dubai call is a turn around point for passengers and crew to disembark or come on board while Fujairah will be a sight seeing visit. She has 300 passengers on board, mainly of German origin as well as 271 crew, and is on a tour from Europe to the Far East. Sailing out from France, her ports of call are Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Salalah, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Fujairah, Mumbai, Srilanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
“Over the past several months, GAC has worked hard with various owners and tour operations around the world to ensure scheduled and planned calls to the UAE still materialize and cruise vessel owners and operators continue to bring their vessels into the UAE as a turn around or stop off point during the first quarter of 2003” stated GAC's Managing Director Per Zachrisson, adding that GAC is firmly committed to developing the cruise business in the region.
GAC is an integral part of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing's (DTCM) team that is dedicated to promoting awareness of, and building confidence in, this region within the international cruise industry. To achieve this, an international campaign that focuses on Dubai as a safe destination is being planned in the near future. GAC as a group is also actively involved in the forthcoming Seatrade Maritime Conference, to be held in Dubai from March 3-6 2003.
GAC Dubai's Cruise Division handles all types of cruise vessels, recognizing that this is a specialized segment of the shipping industry. As a market leader that has handled 65 percent of Dubai's cruise calls, GAC has long-standing relationships with local Immigration, Customs and Port Authorities as well as tour operators. All local arrangements are coordinated by GAC during the call, and prior to the ship's arrival. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
