Abu Dhabi: Zayed Port near Abu Dhabi City will be developed as a world-class cruise line destination, Captain Mohammad Juma Al Shamsi, the CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), said.
After moving all of the container traffic to the state-of-the-art Khalifa Port, ADPC is working with the Tourism & Culture Authority, Abu Dhabi (TCA) towards this goal, he said.
“Zayed Port celebrated a record number of cruise vessels calling at the cruise terminal this year and plans for a new cruise terminal will be announced shortly,” Al Shamsi said.
During the last cruise season (October 2013 — May 2014) Zayed Port welcomed 79 scheduled calls from cruise liners, and approximately 198,447 passengers and crew members, he said.
ADPC has made significant investments to improve the visitors’ experience and develop the port facilities to support the increasing number of visiting cruise ships.
The first phase of the cruise terminal’s development has been successfully completed, offering accommodation for two large cruise ships, one small vessel and a wide range of tourist friendly facilities.
The upcoming development phases of Zayed Port’s cruise terminal will further enhance the berthing capacity and focus on a state-of-the-art terminal building.
“The exact design and plan for the building is under discussion as it has the potential to be another landmark building for Abu Dhabi. The development plans include a traditionally themed souk and heritage area, with activities for both passengers and the general public.
The number of tour operators adding Abu Dhabi to their itineraries as a winter sun destination has been growing over the past years. A solid confirmation is the number of maiden calls which has doubled compared to last season, with a total of ten scheduled debut visits during the last season.
About marketing the Zayed Port as cruise destination, Al Shamsi said: “We are not selling Abu Dhabi as an individual port. We sell the concept as a region. Because when the foreign cruise lines come, they don’t visit Zayed Port alone; they will be going from one port to another … Bahrain, Dubai, Fujairah.”
