QE2 attraction mirrors Queen Mary ship hotel in California

Preserving QE2’s history holds great promise for Dubai tourism if the restored Queen Mary cruise liner now serving as a refurbished permanent hotel in Long Beach, California, is any indication.

Queen Mary Commodore Everette Hoard told Gulf News in an exclusive interview that acquiring the original Queen Mary from Cunard — the former owners of QE2 — and establishing her as a hotel in the 1970s with a living history has helped rejuvenate tourism in the US seaside community.

“Her opening to the public in May 1971 was a great milestone in the City of Long Beach’s effort to chart a new course in tourism. She has become the centrepiece as well as the focal point of billions of dollars’ worth of ocean front property across the harbour,” Hoard said.

On the strategy of Dubai’s QE2 becoming a major tourist destination, Queen Mary caretakers said the idea of a cruiseship hotel has proved to be a golden blueprint for the local and state economy.

“This development has caused Long Beach to become more of a resort destination as well as a leading cruise terminal for the Carnival Group. Thousands of local jobs have spawned from this cultural boom especially in our hospitality industry. The Queen Mary is also a teacher to local students in our educational outreach programmes offered to Southern California School Districts. With the addition of the historic vessel, Long Beach has become the ‘International City’.

From a humble idea, the Queen Mary’s lure now attracts up to 1.8 million tourists a year, Hoard said.