200 agents attend Middle East cruise...

Dubai travel event explores growing regional opportunities

More than 200 travel agents from the Middle East and 17 leading operators attended the fourth edition of Cruise Travel Mart (CTM) in Dubai to discuss industry trends, shifting demand and the increasing regional opportunity.

While the majority of agents were from the UAE, there were also trade professionals from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman at the event, keen to network and discover new itineraries and destinations from leading cruise lines including Celebrity Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, Cunard, Explora Journeys, Hurtigruten, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Windstar Cruises.

Designed to maximise engagement, the show’s unusual format saw identical sessions in the morning and afternoon, allowing agents and cruise lines more time for meaningful interactions.

Highlights of the event, held at Shangri-La Dubai, included a spotlight on innovation, market trends and evolving consumer preferences, plus the growing regional appetite for cruises and expansion of the cruise footprint in the Middle East.

Royal Carribbean team at Cruise Travel Mart

That demand is demonstrated by Celestyal which says it saw "unprecedented demand" for its regional sailings, including the Iconic Arabia itinerary. Bookings were 27% above target for its maiden season in the Arabian Gulf, which saw the ship homeport in Doha, Qatar.

The cruise operator has since committed to maintaining Abu Dhabi as a winter home port as part of sailing schedules in the Gulf, recently signing a three-year agreement with The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

The collaboration will see the cruise line promote Abu Dhabi as a key destination and help further establish its affiliations to the Middle East region.

Tapping this market too, Explora Journeys has unveiled its inaugural Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula itinerary, with the first departure scheduled for December 2026.

Meanwhile, Oceania's new six-month round-the-world cruise in 2027 will include the Gulf region, exploring the Arabian Peninsula, with stops in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and in Qatar's capital Doha, before sailing to the southernmost tip of Oman (Salalah).

Founded in 2022 by leading cruise lines in the UAE, and the region’s only show dedicated to cruise, CTM plays an important role in informing the outbound cruise industry in the Middle East, providing agents with the latest knowledge and tools to better sell cruise holidays.

For more information, visit www.cruisemaster-me.com

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