Page 14 - SMI Issue 62

Regional FocusRecord year for Abu Dhabi Ports’ Cruise TerminalAbu Dhabi Ports, the developer, operator and manager of ports and the Khalifa Industrial Zone, has released its best ever Cruise Terminal performance figures.With an increase of 16% in passengers and a 20% increase in vessel calls, the state-of-the-art Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal is playing a prominent role in achieving the emirate’s economic diversification goals and expanding tourism.In the cruise season of 2015/16, Abu Dhabi welcomed 231,660 tourists, compared to 35,366 passengers in the 2006/07 cruise season and 113 cruise ships called at Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal during the 2015/16 season, marking a 20% growth over the 94 ships that docked at Zayed Port during the previous season.The sharp increase in visitors arriving by sea comes hot on the heels of last year’s launch of the new Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal, which was officially inaugurated on 13th December by H.H Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.“This impressive double-digit growth in the face of economic headwinds is a remarkable achievement and further strengthens Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal’s role in boosting thecountry’s tourism industry. We are working closely with our strategic partners to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a major global destination and attract international cruise liners to not only call at Abu Dhabi as part of their intinerary but also to choose the emirate as their starting point for regional cruises by making it their homeport,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.“Our ongoing efforts in increasing the level of awareness of the cutting-edge Abu Dhabu Cruise Terminal and the wider emirate are yielding rewarding results,” said Noura Rashid Al Dhaheri, Cruise Terminal Manager at Abu Dhabi Ports.“Cruise operators have been promoting Abu Dhabi and the region within their itineraries with great success.”MSC Cruises and AIDA Cruises were the first cruiseline operators to choose Abu Dhabi and Zayed Port’s new permanent terminal as their home port for the 2015/16 season.The upcoming 2016/17 season is set to further enhance Abu Dhabi’s cruise tourism industry and offer more options to cruise passengers and Abu Dhabi Ports is currently developing the luxury award-winning Sir Bani Yas Island to be the Arabian Gulf’s first beach and eco-tourism stop over for cruise ships.