ABU DHABI reached a new milestone in cruise tourism with the arrival of the luxury MSC Lirica cruise ship – the first to home port in the UAE capital – at Mina Zayed’s new temporary cruise terminal.
Passengers on the 59,000-tonne liner which arrived from Genoa, Italy last month were given a warm welcome with a spectacular fireworks display before disembarking to the cruise terminal where they were treated to displays of henna design, falconry and calligraphy as well as traditional dances.
MSC Lirica started its 19, eight-day/seven-night itineraries for the 2011/2012 season cruising around the Arabian Gulf calling at Muscat, Al Fujairah, Khasab in Oman and Dubai with 95 calls and rotations.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), said MSC Lirica would be remembered for breaking new ground in Abu Dhabi. “We hope she has set a course that many others will follow. Our studies show that 30 per cent of cruise passengers return to the home port for longer stay and we look forward to welcoming these new arrivals back time and again.”
The ship will sail 25 cruises with 125 calls and bring a further 54,000 passengers per year to the area.
ADTA has estimated that MSC’s decision to home port the ship in Abu Dhabi will generate up to $21.9 million in direct economic impact on the tourism, airline, accommodation, retail, transport, food and beverage, and attractions sectors. Cruise tourism has been prioritised as a core pillar in Abu Dhabi’s tourism targets which aim to achieve 2.3 million hotel guests by the end of next year. Abu Dhabi anticipates receiving around 170,000 cruise visitors before the 2011/2012 season ends next April.
The temporary cruise terminal at Mina Zayed is capable of simultaneously accommodating 1,300 passengers and has been designed to cater for the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 cruise seasons.