Four maiden cruise ships calls, an increase in passenger numbers of 48% and a historic two-ship visit from Cunard Line during the 2014/15 cruise season out of Abu Dhabi has made this cruise season the busiest and most successful on record for the emirate, Abu Dhabi Ports Company has announced.
This growth has been supported by the development of a cruise ship island beach stopover on Sir Bani Yas Island, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East. ADPC has also redeveloped the cruise terminal, with the third and final stage, the interior fit out of the building, due for completion by the end of 2015.
“Abu Dhabi’s cruise business has been growing continuously ever since the first cruise vessels called at Zayed Port,” said Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports. “With the new cruise terminal building and the new island stopover on Sir Bani Yas Island, we will significantly enhance the visitor experience and boost Abu Dhabi’s status as a world-class cruise line destination.”
The most recent passenger figures for the 2014/2015 season confirm the rapid growth and highlight the potential of the emirate’s cruise business moving forward. While around 125,000 passengers and 75 vessels visited Abu Dhabi during the 2013/2014 cruise season, the current season has been the busiest ever, with around 185,000 expected passengers representing an increase of 48% and 94 confirmed vessels calls.
In comparison, during 2006/2007 – the UAE capital’s first recognised cruise season – Zayed Port hosted just 29 cruise vessels and just under 36,000 passengers, clearly demonstrating how much the interest from passengers, cruise line operators and travel agents has increased since then.
This season, 15 cruise ships from ten cruise liners will have called at Zayed Port, most of them on a weekly basis. The list of recurrent visits is headed by Mein Schiff 2 and AIDAdiva, followed by Costa NeoRiviera, and Costa Serena.
With the Costa Serena, AIDAaura, MSC Orchestra and MS Balmoral, Zayed Port saw four new vessels visiting Abu Dhabi for the first time. The four “maiden callers” arrived in November, December and January and added to the increasing number of cruise ships visiting the capital as part of a tour through the Middle East, linking Abu Dhabi with places like Dubai, Bahrain, Muscat, Khorfakkan and Khasab.
“This is also supported by the fact that cruise line operators have been sending newer, bigger and more advanced vessels to the Middle East, including Abu Dhabi, over the past years,” said Al Shamisi. “Next season, we are expecting the AIDAprima, one of the next generation of 3,250 passenger ‘club ships’ for AIDA Cruises. The AIDAprima is the newest and largest ship ever built for the German cruise line.”
