New cruise passenger terminal design to be unveiled at
Europe’s biggest industry event
Abu Dhabi,
UAE: The concept design of Abu Dhabi’s planned
permanent cruise passenger terminal is to be unveiled later this month at Europe’s
most prestigious cruise event, Seatrade Med 2014, from 16-18 September in
Barcelona, Spain.
The model is being showcased by Abu
Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) following an international design competition and
extensive industry stakeholder input. An
important element of the competition was the commitment to hire two leading
Emirati architectural graduates, to join the project team for the development
of the architectural design.
ADPC will be at Seatrade Med with an
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) delegation in the
emirate’s first dedicated ‘Cruise Abu Dhabi’ international promotion. The Abu
Dhabi contingent will meet leading cruise operators and press the emirate’s
case as an alternative and preferred winter cruise destination.
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO,
ADPC, and Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director Tourism, TCA
Abu Dhabi, will reveal plans for Abu Dhabi’s new Zayed Port cruise passenger
terminal and outline a number of initiatives which are expected to boost the
emirate’s cruise appeal.
ADPC and TCA Abu Dhabi will present the
new building concept, which was chosen following an international design
competition, with the help of a scale model and a video ‘fly-through’ which
shows the facilities and style of the new building. Ground clearance for
construction of the terminal is underway.
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi: “This
is the first time ADPC has promoted Cruise Abu Dhabi at an international event,
all of the top cruise lines will be represented, along with thousands of people
from the wider travel industry. This
exhibition will be a good opportunity to mix with key decision makers, our new
terminal plans are already attracting a lot of attention, demonstrating how very
serious we are about developing this important market for the emirate.”
Abu Dhabi’s cruise ambitions have
also been boosted recently following new visa regulation moves which includes
an AED200 (US $55) multi-entry cruise visa for the UAE.
“The new visa fee makes it much more
affordable for operators to promote Arabian itineraries, of which Abu Dhabi is
a key stopover,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri. “It is being well received by the
industry and we will shortly assist operators further with the inclusion of a
dedicated cruise promotion sector on our www.visitabudhabi.ae destination portal.”
“Cruise lines are increasingly
looking for ports-of-call in more exotic locations and shore excursions that
are original, exciting, once-in-a-life-time experiences and we are again
working extremely closely with local stakeholders and cruise operators to
ensure Abu Dhabi delivers exceptional, memorable and appealing shorex
experiences.”
Abu Dhabi is now working with Dubai
and Oman in a ‘Cruise Arabia’ alliance to build the region’s international
cruise appeal.
Each port in the Cruise Arabia
initiative offers a very different range of attractions for visiting passengers,
which is exactly what the cruise lines look for. Zayed Port cruise passenger terminal is
ideally located close to the centre of the city and its exciting attractions,
from the Louvre Abu Dhabi which will open in 2015 to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi,
the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Waterworld to mention just a few.
The 2013/2014 cruise season which
ran from November to April, was the busiest yet for Abu Dhabi, with a record 10
maiden calls (first-time visits) and 189,709 passengers visiting the UAE
capital on 75 calls into Zayed Port during the season. In comparison, during
the 2006/2007 cruise season Zayed Port hosted just 29 cruise ships and 35,366
passengers. Cruise ships currently calling at Zayed Port are served by a
temporary passenger terminal which has extensive facilities including currency
exchange, visitor information services, souvenirs and food & beverage
offerings.
Seatrade Med 2014 attracts more than
4,000 visitors from more than 40 countries with exhibitors looking to build
relationships with the cruise lines and wider travel industry.
