The 12-deck, 600-passenger ship Crystal Symphony, operated by the 2023-relaunched company Crystal Cruises, has become the first vessel to dock at Zayed Port's Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal. This marks the official beginning of the 2023-2024 cruise season for AD Ports Group.
A total of 126 cruise ships are scheduled to make calls in Abu Dhabi, commencing on November 1st. This influx is expected to lead to significant growth for the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal.
Moreover, Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach, which welcomed its first ship on October 31, is prepared to host 63 calls.
9 maiden voyages, indicating ships making their inaugural visits to Abu Dhabi, are scheduled for this season.
Since its launch in December 2015, the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal is anticipating 7000+ visitors during the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi event, where they will be offered world-class hospitality.
In the 2022-2023 season, Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal recorded over 600,000 visitors arriving in the capital, with more than 82,000 passengers embarking on their journeys from Abu Dhabi.
The 2023-Q1 showed remarkable growth, with 363,494 visitors and 120 cruise calls, surpassing the figures for Q1 of 2022, which saw 89,953 visitors and 60 calls. The passenger volumes for 2023-Q1 exceeded the total for the entire year of 2022 by more than 37%.
As part of the Ports Cluster, the Abu Dhabi Cruise business expanded its operations into the Red Sea with the successful inauguration of the Aqaba Cruise Terminal in January 2023.