- Event witnesses over 250 travel planners from leisure, luxury, and MICE segments.
- Expects to make 75 calls in the region with 150,000 passengers over the 6-month period.
Resorts World Cruises celebrated its debut in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman with Resort World One through a dazzling travel-trade networking event in Mumbai on 29th May 2024. The event saw participation from leading ocean-cruise travel consolidators and over 250 travel planners from leisure, luxury, and MICE segments attended the event.
Highlights included artistic performances and an in-depth presentation by the Resort World Cruises team that included Michael Goh, President, RWC; Naresh Rawal, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, RWC; Colin Kerr, Senior Vice President Entertainment, RWC amongst others. Also present were Sushant Bhandari, Country Manager – DET, India Representative Office, and Sharmishtha Patange from Brandit India, representing Qatar tourism.
Starting from 18 October 2024, the Resorts World One will homeport and depart from Dubai for 6 months to offer a 2 Night Sir Bani Yas Weekend Cruise with departures on Fridays; a 3 Night Oman Cruise to Khasab and Muscat departing on Sundays; and a 2 Night Doha Cruise departing on Wednesdays. Guests will have the flexible option to combine two or all three of the itineraries to increase the cruise length to a 4, 5 or 7 Night Cruise. Resorts World One will also add Doha as a homeport during the Qatar school holidays from 24 October to 2 November 2024. During this period, vacationers will have the additional convenience to embark from Doha to enjoy two 2 Night Dubai Cruises (24 and 31 October departures) and two 5 Night Dubai–Khasab-Muscat Cruises (26 October & 2 November departures).
Resorts World One expects to make 75 calls in the region with 150,000 passengers over the 6-month period, which will significantly contribute to the growth of cruise tourism in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Welcoming the audience, Goh mentioned “India is one of the key source markets for us, because we know that Indians travel to Dubai couple of times in the year, and this allows them to go more in this cruise. India contributes to 1/3rd of our total pax count, and when we talk about India market, we talk about family, couples, friends and importantly the MICE segment. We are very confident that MICE segment would bring Indians to Dubai and of course to our cruise. We are also looking at weddings segment, and weddings on cruise is not something new for us. In the past years, we have been working with our travel trade partners to bring weddings onboard.”
He further added, “We are engaging largely on social media, beside the conventional kind of publicity, to put the experiences forward to the audiences. With our strong and wide connections with India and across Asia, we will together unlock a new segment of cruise passengers from India and Asia, increase diversity to the Arabian Gulf cruise market, bringing the beauty of South-east Asian and other part of the Asia market which will add a strong value and actually expanding the destination. Both cities Dubai and Doha are key international gateways to the Middle East and with the support of the respective local governments, authorities and travel partners, we look forward to further developing cruises to the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.”
During presentation, Rawal discussed several USPs of the Arabian Gulf sailings, where he highlighted the availability of Halal certified, Indian vegetarian, Jain, and Indian non-vegetarian meals onboard. The certification will be provided by The organization of Islamic Corporation and the standards and Metrology Institute, with no pork preparation onboard the ship. Also, one can indulge in the Arabian Grills or the Shisha bars during their journey onboard.
“It’s time to embark on a new era of cruising with Resorts World One. GCC and UAE is possibly the closest to the Indian hearts, and we are here to create a difference. What’s interestingly new is that we have curated the itineraries keeping the convenience of timing in mind. Every departure starts at 9:00 PM, and so one can easily connect onto a flight. The ship comes to Dubai in the afternoon, and you connect back easily as well” added Rawal.
Highlighting the exclusivity of Sir Bani Yas island, Rawal mentioned that its difficult to reach the point where the jetty is for the island. And then to board a jetty, one has to show a valid booking in any of the properties in the island, but there are just three properties which are also heavily priced. “The island is full of enchanting wildlife, and there is where we are offering something which the locals there can’t do very often, and the best way to explore the island is on a cruise and RWC is definitely the best.”
Kerr also discussed the unique offerings that will be available onboard and designed specifically for Indian travellers. Some of the party and entertainment experiences onboard include the brand-new Red Carpet (the signature party) along with Twilight Soirée; Love Matters; Salsa, Japanese or Bollywood dance classes followed by a flash mob in the evening; Pyjama party; enchanting Arabian nights party; fun and fitness workshops; retail therapies; wellness experiences, and more. He also highlighted the availability of a variety of teens and kids activities onboard.
Resort World One in Arabian Gulf sailings will feature 926 staterooms, 42 suites, 6 speciality restaurants, 3 bar & lounge, and upto 6 inclusive meals. The Stateroom categories include The Palace, Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony, Oceanview Stateroom with window, and Interior Stateroom.
