Our Correspondent
The UAE region’s Mina Rashid bagged the award for the World’s Leading Cruise Port once again at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2020 overtaking cruise ports from around the world. The award is considered a noteworthy accolade in the travel industry.
Mina Rashid – Dubai’s man-made cruise terminal – has retained this coveted title for 13 successive years, since 2008. Over the years, owing to extensive development and significant upgrades, the port has become a preferred destination for cruise lines around the world. The port has transformed the status of Dubai from a facilitator of dhow-enabled trade to a global community hub for the maritime sector.
Mina Rashid’s proximity to Dubai International Airport and the heart of the city make it an ideal choice as passengers can get easy access to key locales in the city. The port can simultaneously handle seven mega-cruise vessels or 25,000 passengers in a single day.
Central to Mina Rashid’s stellar performance is the flagship Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, which is the world’s biggest single, covered cruise terminal facility. The state-of-the-art terminal has the capacity to receive 14,000 passengers per day. Since its inauguration in 2014 until 2020, the terminal witnessed a growth of 55 per cent, receiving a high volume of cruise ships. The terminal achieved the feat of receiving six ships with around 35,000 passengers and crew in a single day in the 2019-20 season.
Expansion projects are ongoing at the port to enhance its capabilities and solder the city’s preeminent position in the global tourism industry. The expert team overseeing the port is working to reinvent and explore new collaborations to enhance the regional and global cruise industry.
