Dubai is stepping up its efforts to attract more visitors wishing to explore the city during the winter season as the new sea tourism season begins and establish itself as a leading destination for cruise ships in the region. During the 2019/2020 season, the emirate is expected to receive more than one million visitors and 200 cruise ships.

The new season began on October 19, with the arrival of Toy Cruise's Miniv Chef 5, with more than 6,000 visitors, followed by five cruise ships belonging to international operators for the first time in Dubai, such as Costa Diadema. Costa Cruises, MSC Plesima of MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean's Goal of the Seas, Cruz Europe's La Belle de Zocyan, Toy Cruise's Main Chef 6.
These cruise ships will be docked at the award-winning Mina Rashid Port in Dubai, which boasts world-class facilities that can accommodate up to seven large vessels simultaneously. In 11 occasions, the port will receive five cruise ships in one day, and six vessels will dock twice a day.
During the 2018/2019 season, Dubai recorded an increase in the number of visitors arriving by sea on cruise ships by more than 51% to reach 850 thousand visitors, and a seasonal increase of 38% in the number of cruise ships, which amounted to 152 vessels, compared with the season 2017 / 2018.