Abu Dhabi Ports plans duty free shop as cruise demand soars

UAE. Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal (ADCT) at Zayed Port will open its first duty free store for the cruise season 2017/2018 to capitalise on booming passenger traffic. It follows the end of a strong 2016/2017 season.

A tender process for the shop took place recently and ADCT Cruise Terminal Manager Noura Rashed Al Dhaheri confirmed to The Moodie Davitt Report that it is now in the short-listed selection phase. Final-round candidates have not been disclosed.

Abu Dhabi Ports extended its 2016/2017 season to June due to booming traffic, with a +40% increase in vessel calls and +48% overall increase in passengers compared to the 2015/2016 season.

Abu Dhabi Ports’ main cruise destination is the ADCT, but Sir Bani Yas Island – where a dedicated ‘cruise beach’ opened in December 2016 – has also become a popular eco-tourism stopover and saw 33 cruise vessels calling.

The 7,800sq m ADCT currently has around 17 shops covering 1,000sq m of store space. Discussions are also underway to open a new branded store at the terminal.

In numbers, more than 345,662 cruise tourists visited the Emirate this season (up from 232,605) while vessel numbers increased from 115 to 161. The +48% rise in passengers comes on the back of a +16% growth in the previous 2015/2016 season and has been helped by investments in port infrastructure and tourism offerings.

Last month, ADCT welcomed Princess Cruise Lines’ Majestic Princess on her maiden voyage to mark the close of the 2016/2017 season and making her the 162nd cruise vessels to arrive there. She is on a 56-day itinerary from Barcelona to her home port in Shanghai, China.

Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal has around 1,000sq m of retail space, which is set to expand to include duty free amid growing passenger demand

A ‘must visit’ destination for 2017

Abdulkareem Al Masabi, Executive Vice President, Ports, at Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “Since developing the cruise terminal we have worked closely with cruise lines to promote Abu Dhabi as a unique travel destination. We launched Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach as a ‘must visit’ destination this season, which has contributed to a +40% growth in number of vessel calls, doubling our forecast of a +21% increase.”

It is expected that the Sir Bani Yas Island cruise beach will be a major draw from cruise lines in the new season. Abu Dhabi Ports is preparing further enhancements and developments to the beach, with details to follow.

ADCT opened in December 2015 and is equipped to host vessels (up to three at a time) for turnaround and also homeporting. It is a 30-minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport and features free WiFi, a children’s area, VIP Lounge, ATMs, foreign exchange as well as the growing retail offer.

ADCT’s eco-friendly architecture is tied to the country’s cultural and maritime heritage. The lattice-work roof design is inspired by the Ghaf – the UAE’s national tree, and its interior wooden beams are a nod to the traditional sea faring vessel, the dhow.

According to Abu Dhabi Ports, the top 10 nationalities arriving at ADCT this season were: Germany (48%), UK (21%), Italy (10%), Russia (5%), Netherlands (4%), USA and Spain (3%), and Belgium, Switzerland and Austria at 2% each.

 

The Majestic Princess called at Abu Dhabi Port on her maiden voyage

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