Former director of special projects at the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, Chuck Heath was the driving force behind the development of cruise tourism in Dubai.

With passenger numbers increasing five-fold in five years, he conceived and executed plans for a dedicated cruise terminal, one that not only looked good, but also met global standards for service and safety. Built in just nine months and opened in March 2001, the terminal hosted four ships and around 4,000 passengers on its launch day, including the world famous QE2, whose master, Captain Warwick, nominated it as “one of the finest cruise terminals” he had ever seen.