Mina Rashid wins its 13th World Travel Award

DP World’s Mina Rashid has continued its winning streak at the coveted World Travel Awards – this time voted the Middle East’s Leading Cruise Port for the seventh consecutive year.

This is the 13^th World Travel Award for the Dubai cruise hub. In December 2013, Mina Rashid was voted the World’s Leading Cruise Port for the sixth consecutive year, beating leading cruise ports from around the globe. 

At its Middle East Ceremony 2014 held in Dubai this week, WTA President Graham Cooke presented the award to Dirk Van Den Bosch, Chief Commercial Officer, DP World, UAE Region and Mohammed Al Mannaei, Director of Mina Rashid, during a gala red-carpet ceremony attended by top decision-makers in travel and tourism. 

Mina Rashid is the home of Dubai Cruise Terminal, the cruise hub of the region. Since 2008, it has been consistently voted leader in its class in the Middle East by World Travel Awards. This year, five ports from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan were nominated for the Middle East's Leading Cruise Port Award. 

Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said: “We are honoured that Mina Rashid, which began life as the region’s first modern container port more than 40 years ago, is now playing a vital role as the prime destination for cruise tourism in this region. The seventh recognition in a row underlines Dubai’s success in its goal of making cruise tourism an economic growth engine, and we believe the expansion projects we are undertaking will support the leading position of Mina Rashid and Dubai as the largest cruise hub in the region.” 

Dirk Van Den Bosch, Chief Commercial Officer, DP World, UAE Region, said: “The Award has come just as Mina Rashid is preparing to complete the Dubai Cruise Terminal’s ultra-luxury new facility, which will add even more to the attractiveness of Mina Rashid as a cruise hub when it opens this year.  Our customers will benefit from the port’s state-of-the-art facilities that have made it one of the most tourist-friendly ports of call, as well as from the new facility designed to handle 14,000 cruise passengers simultaneously. We take this opportunity to thank World Travel Awards for the honour.” 

Mohammed Al Mannaei, Director, Mina Rashid, DP World, UAE Region, said: “Once again we share our win with our strategic partner in promoting cruise tourism in Dubai, the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), who, along with other departments in Dubai, play a critical role in the success of our cruise port.  We thank them all for their important roles in the success of Mina Rashid as a cruising destination of choice for the finest cruise ships in the world.” 

Acknowledged across the globe as the ultimate travel accolade, World Travel Awards celebrates excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Its Grand Final this year will be held in Morocco at the end of 2014.