Economic issues such as the European debt crisis and uncertainty regarding the global economic picture as a whole has the potential to affect demand for the cruise market in Dubai, and that's something Royal Caribbean is keeping an eye on.
Royal Caribbean regional director Helen Beck is among those worried that international economic issues could negatively impact demand for Royal Caribbean's product in Dubai. It has already been hampered with the government issuing visas but other issues like the European economy, unrest in other parts of the Middle East have all had impact on Royal Caribbean's bottom line.
According to Beck, “We did not get the revenues we were looking for, as the global trading conditions have been quite tricky over the past 18 months.”
Royal Caribbean home ports in Dubai during the Gulf cruise season.
Khalid Bin Sulayem, the director-general of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, spoke about the cruise ship market today, "The global cruise ship industry has had its difficulties of late, but here it is a growing business and one where we feel Dubai can play a larger role within the region. While we have already established ourselves as a hub, we realise that there are a number of things that we must focus on in order to fully capitalise on this burgeoning sector by developing our cruise ship terminal infrastructure and improving coordination with neighbouring countries.”
