The cruise shipping market that originates from Dubai is enjoying an upturn in business after the global financial crisis clamped down on luxury buys and tourism.

Costa Cruise’s Dubai arm, which inaugurated a new liner, the Costa Deliziosa (pictured) in Dubai last month, said 2009 to 2010 winter season bookings have increased 40 per cent from the previous winter season.  

“The booking trend for the summer time has slightly improved this year and we have already had quite a number of people booking, three to four months in adva-nce,” said Francesca Mugnari, sales and marketing manager at Costa Cruises UAE and Gulf.  

Mugnari said that taking a cruise holiday has become a popular alternative getaway for holidaymakers from Dubai during the global financial crisis.  

“People are more concerned about value for money and definitely the cruise is beco-ming an alternative holiday,” she added.    
The world’s biggest cruise firms said yesterday at the the annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference that they are seeing strong advance bookings also so far this year and are paring away discounts that were needed to lure pass-engers aboard during the global economic crisis.

The mood at the event was decidedly brighter than 2009, a year Norwegian Cruise Line chief executive Keven Sheehan said was “scary”.

“We’re seeing solid signs of recovery, albeit one that will play out over the next couple of years,” said Sheehan.

Major lines had to cut ticket prices by ten to 20 per cent in 2009 as consumers kept purse strings tight.

That enticed holidaymakers aboard and filled the ships with 13.4 million passengers, up by 430,000 passengers from 2008, according to stati-stics from the Cruise Lines International Association.

Several CEOs at the conference said they had seen strong advance bookings during the crucial January-through-March “wave season”, when many travellers plan holidays. It is traditionally the industry’s busiest booking period.

Bookings were solid enough for some of the big cruise holiday players to raise rates. Carnival Cruise Lines is raising rates by up to five per cent for summer sailings, effective March 22.