March 19- Costa Cruise's Dubai arm has said the winter bookings for 2009-2010 have gone up by 40 per cent as compared to the same period last year."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 advance," said Francesca Mugnari, sales and marketing manager at Costa Cruises UAE and Gulf.
Cruises have been a popular choice for holiday getaways for Dubai residents during the global financial crisis, said Mugnari. "People are more concerned about value for money and cruises are becoming an alternative holiday," she added. Meanwhile, major liners cut ticket prices by ten to 20 per cent in 2009 to attract consumers. That enticed holidaymakers aboard and filled the ships with 13.4 million passengers, up by 430,000 passengers from 2008, according to statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association.
This fort is yet another legacy of the Portuguese occupation of Muscat dating back to the latter half of the 16th century. While the fort is closed to visitors, it is a wonderful photop opportunity and is within view from the Mutrah Souk and Corniche. Timings: Daily Admission: none Address: Mutrah Harbor Tel: none ...
This historical palace built in the 17th century is in the Baroque style. Here you can view some wonderfully ornate decoration pieces. The floor which is most elaborately decorated still holds the paneling and ornaments from the 18th century. Also built during the same century was a pharmacy which still holds many of the original Delft items. 15 rue Droite Timings: Wednesday to ...
Built in the foothills of Jebel Hafeet, the second tallest mountain in the UAE, is the Middle East’s first manmade white-water rafting, kayaking and surfing facility. The park has three world class kayaking channel networks, with a total length of 1,133m. It also has a surf pool capable of making 3.3 meter high waves every 90 seconds, a rope course, climbing wall and zip line, along with food a...
Situated near the abra (water taxi) station, Dubai’s first office building, built in 1934, has been restored to house a popular museum depicting Dubai’s traditional fishing and maritime history and culture. On the other side of Dubai Creek is the Burj Nahar, one of the three watchtowers which were used to guard Dubai. Set amongst beautiful gardens, Burj Nahar is a fine example of old Arabian archi...