The Dubai Tourism and Trade Shopping Authority anticipates the arrival of 25,000 marine tourists in 2001, reported Al-Ittihad newspaper. The authority also reported that 33 cruise ships will harbor at the Sheikh Rashed Seaport in the UAE, including two of the world’s largest cruise vessels carrying 3,500 and 4,000 marine tourists.
According to the authority, 25 tourist vessels harbored at the Sheikh Rashed Seaport in Dubai last year. These ships carried 9,975 passengers, of whom 6,830 were tourists. The revenues from these tourists totaled 25 million dirhams in 2000, and are likely to grow by 10-15 percent per annum in the future.
Project manager of the Dubai Tourism and Trade Shopping Authority, Abdul-Rahim Abdullah, said that the authority will organize the International Marine Tourism Conference in the Hayatt Regency hotel during January 23-25.
Marine tourism specialists from 17 companies will attend this conference. The participants will lecture about various related issues including the geographical location of the Gulf states and the Middle East and marine tourism promotion campaigns ands services. — (Albawaba-MEBG)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
