The destination striving to become 'the Miami of the Middle East'

Just a few years ago, Dubai was little more than a blip on the world's cruise radar. Then cruise visitor numbers surged 38 per cent one season, followed by a whopping 51 per cent the next. Last season saw 846,176 passenger arrivals, and the maiden visits of 14 ships. The current cruise season, which started in October 2019 and finishes in April, is expected to see a million cruise passengers disembark in the desert city.

Are you going to be hearing much more about Dubai as a cruise destination? You bet. The Dubai government has made no bones about wanting to be the "cruise hub of the region" and the city a "must-see cruise destination". By 2030 it intends to be the Miami of the Middle East, with marine tourism to be a significant part of the economy.

The black cloud on the seascape? Last year UK-based P&O Cruises cancelled its Dubai visits following shipping tensions between Britain and Iran. Although no other cruise lines followed suit, and P&O Cruises says it will return this coming season, the Straits of Hormuz have long been a flashpoint in global tensions. Dubai's ambitious plans could yet be scuttled by the current brinkmanship between Iran and the USA – or by coronavirus.

For the moment, calm seas prevail. Much of the growth has been driven by budget megaships from companies such as MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Germany-based TUI Cruises and Royal Caribbean, which recently expanded its Middle East headquarters in Dubai. The city's Mina Rashid Cruise Terminal is designed to berth seven mega-ships simultaneously.

This season has seen six megaships docked on two occasions. Meanwhile Costa Diadema homeported in Dubai the first time, and MSC's Bellisima and Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas were among other ships that made their first visits. Towards the end of 2020, Dubai Harbour will add another two cruise terminals on a kilometre-long quay, expected to handle some 250,000 passengers during its opening season.

Shivering Europeans beset by winter are driving the boom, but Australians have good reason to rejoice, since we're avid cruisers and already fond of Dubai, with 231,000 of us stopping over in 2019. Dubai hotels have become expensive, making cruises a viable alternative, especially with the government's Dubai Stopover Pass, which gives discounts on attractions to cruise passengers.

Those who aren't megaship fans needn't miss out, because some 20 cruise lines now call at Dubai. Some offer regional itineraries featuring other ports such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Muscat and Doha, while others pass through as they reposition between Europe and Asia. Azamara, Crystal, Ponant, Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania are among the smaller luxury lines that visit.

A cruise from or through Dubai diffuses some of the anxiety many travellers feel about visiting the Middle East, and makes getting around far easier than is possible overland. You can tick off small nations such as Bahrain, Oman and Qatar and, on wider itineraries, take in Jordan, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

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