Dubai, UAE; March19, 2015: TheOman Ministry of Tourism (Oman Tourism), Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and newly joined Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA),come together under the Cruise Arabia Allianceto represent the Arabian Gulf at the Cruise Shipping Miami, the cruise industrys leading global event runningfrom 16-19March in Miami, USA.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi,and Oman attend their second year as Cruise Arabia withtourism authorities of Qatar and Sharjah for the first time, to promote the Arabian Gulf as the cruise tourism hotspot. Promoting the cruise industry within the Arabian Gulf and internationally is a key mandate of the Cruise Arabia Alliance.

DTCM was joined by nine other public and private sector stakeholders from the industry to represent Dubai at the Cruise Shipping Miami convention; DP world, Emirates Airline, in addition to tour operators DNATA, Sharaf Tours, Alpha Tours, Orient Tours; and shipping agents Gulf Agency Company, Inchcape Shipping Services and Seamaster Maritime.

Alongside the Oman Ministry of Tourism were anumber of Omani tour operators such as,Zahara Tours, Travel Point, Port of Services (Port of Sultan Qaboos), and Khasab Travel & Tours; with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority present on the stand with co-participants includingAbu Dhabi Port Company (ADCP) and Etihad Airways, in addition to their Cruise Arabia regional tour operator partners.
Hamad bin Mejren, Executive Director, Dubai Tourism, said: Cruise Shipping Miami is a key event for the global cruise industry and we are glad to have a stronger representation of the region this year at the convention with two additional regional destination partners Qatar Tourism Authority, and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority;under the Cruise Arabia Alliance. As Dubai, we have many key messages to convey to the industry such as the new ruling of multiple entry UAE visa exclusively for cruise tourist at a nominal fee, the recent opening of the 3rd Cruise Terminal, and largest covered cruise terminal facility in the world. We are amidst a busy cruise season with over 150,000 cruise tourist and 30 ship calls only in the month of January 2015. This confirms that our target to receive 450,000 cruise tourists by 2016 is achievable. This convention is an excellent platform to showcase Dubai and the region as a whole to the industry. We are optimistic on the benefits of this convention from our previous fifteen consecutive years of participation.
Khalid Al Zadjali, Director of Tourism Events, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: Our participation with Cruise Arabia in Cruise Shipping Miami has yielded fruitful results and substantially contributed to our strategic tourism campaigns. This is our second year of taking part in Cruise Arabias series of road shows, which aims to position the Arabian Gulf as a premier cruise destination. Similar to our inaugural participation, we received good results and positive feedback. Oman has positioned itself as a choice destination for cruises -- it recorded around 300,000 cruise passengers who visited all of Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Salalah Port and Khasab port in the Sultanate in 2014, which enabled us to showcase our attractions and subsequently hope to draw more visitors to the Sultanate. Oman, a key player in the event, has a lot to offer to Cruise Shipping Miami as it is an ideal platform for us to promote Cruise Arabia and highlight the Sultanates beauty to the global stage.
Sultan Al Dhaheri, TCA Abu Dhabis Acting Executive Director Tourism, said, TCA Abu Dhabi is working in partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports and Etihad Airways at Cruise Shipping Miami to provide a range of value-added services relating to porting, marketing and promotional activities to encourage cruise lines to consider home-porting in Abu Dhabi. We anticipate within the next two years we will attract at least one further high end home-porting vessel that will draw its passengers from a variety of international source markets to supplement the 2016/17 Celebrity Cruises deployment of their Constellation ship. This is a strategy that we will continue to pursue the new Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal will have capacity to handle three ships simultaneously, and with our proposed dedicated cruise beach stop-over, Abu Dhabis cruise sector will evolve to become a leading regional destination, and a competitor on the world cruise scene.
Cruise Shipping Miami is the leading international exhibition and conference dedicated to the cruise industry, gathering together industry experts, decision makers, buyers and suppliers for a week of networking, sourcing, education and innovation. More than 11,000 attendeesfrom 125 countries and 900 exhibitors are expected to attend the event this year.

The Arabian Gulf is among the worlds top-three cruise destinations winter sun, where guaranteed sunshine, majestic desert landscapes and futuristic cityscapes meet. With outstanding air connectivity, two thirds of the worlds population within eight hours flight time, state-of-the-art infrastructure and world-leading hotels and retail, the Arabian Gulf is a must-experience cruise and tourism destination.

Cruise Arabia was founded in late 2013, as a collaborative initiative formed by Omans Ministry of Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Now joined by the tourism authorities of Qatar and Sharjah, the five tourism authorities are now working together to transform the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman into a leading cruise destination globally, in partnership with leaders in the cruise industry.

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About Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM)
With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the worlds leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketings (DTCM) mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate.

DTCM is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubais tourism sector; markets and promotes the Emirates commerce sector; and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the DTCM portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). In addition to its headquarters in Dubai, DTCM operates 20 offices worldwide.