Posted on Mon, Oct. 13, 2008

Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises said Monday that it will expand to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 with the deployment of its Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship.

From January to April 2010, the cruise line will offer seven-night sailings from the city, an increasingly popular tourist destination in the Middle East.

''We continue to win devotees from throughout the Middle East and are pleased to have exceeded our 2008 sales target for the region, achieving significant growth over last year,'' Rama Rebbapragada, Royal Caribbean's regional vice president for international sales and marketing, said in a statement.

The company said it will release itineraries for the new cruises from Dubai in the coming weeks.

Royal Caribbean shares jumped $1.40, or 10 percent, to $15.40 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $12.72 and $43.96 during the past 52 weeks.