Gulf Cruise Vacations Stopping Middle East Trips

© mchaconcr

The cost of cruise vacations in the Middle East could be dropping significantly if Gulf tourism authorities are successful in lobbying for a new visa. The Gulf is a cruise tourism hotspot that is rapidly growing in popularity for Middle East trips, but currently some passengers aboard these cruises must apply for a visa for every port stop they wish to take, at a cost of up to $50 per stop. Tourists from Russia and China, for example, end up paying as much as $600 in additional fees for a family of four.

The Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority is looking to reduce these costs by creating a special cruise visa. This should further boost the already booming cruise industry in the region, where Abu Dhabi and Dubai are especially popular ports of call. Both cities are boosting tourist infrastructure as quickly as possible to meet the demand at their ports, which are still geared up mainly for cargo ships.

The Middle East

© Wilson Afonso

The Middle East is simply remarkable, one of the world's most mesmerizing and satisfying travel destinations. It was here that some of the most significant civilizations of ancient times rose and fell and where the three great monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam were born. Left behind is an amazing open-air museum of ancient cities and historic buildings, the stones of which still resonate with the sounds of the faithful.

The Middle East is home to some of the world's most significant cities Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad and İstanbul. The ruins of the once similarly epic cities of history, Petra, Persepolis, Ephesus, Palmyra, Baalbek, Leptis Magna and the bounty of ancient Egypt also mark the passage of centuries in a region where the ancient world lives and breathes.

The landscapes of the region are equally mesmerizing, from the unrivaled seas of sand dunes and palm-fringed lakes in Libya's Sahara desert to the stunning mountains of the north and the underwater world of the Red Sea.