The successful bidder for the works, the temporary consortium formed by Giroa, S.A.U. - ExcavacionesViuda de Sainz, S.A., is working with a €4.6m budget.
The building has been conceived as a rectangular glass container and consists of two main floors with a mezzanine in between.
The hall and tourist information desk will be on the lower floor where embarking passenger reception and check-in will take place; there will also be ample space for disembarking passenger luggage collection. The mezzanine will accommodate the VIP lounge and offices. The waiting area, embarking and disembarking passenger control area and disembarking area will be on the first floor.
The Port Authority plans to provide 222 long-stay parking places close to the terminal destined for passengers beginning and ending their voyages in Getxo that can also be used for residents at large on the days when no cruise vessels berth.
An additional 31 places will be created for staff working at the terminal itself, of which eight will be for people with reduced mobility, ten for taxis and 40 for coaches.
51 cruise ships visited Bilbao this year, a jump of 19% compared to 2015, and bringing 85,071 visitors on board, 21% up on the previous year.
A breakdown of passenger nationality shows that the British (58%) lead the way, followed by Americans (14%).
This season, eight cruise vessels made first time calls inclduing Celebrity Constellation, which overnighted; three calls by Navigator of the Seas, the first of which was in August (on its maiden voyage) and which coincided with the Bilbao Festival Week; Celebrity Silhouette, and the arrival on the same day, October 4, of two Fred Olsen ships Balmoral and Boudicca.
Pullmantur opted for Bilbao as an embarkation/disembarkation port for two visits by Monarch. Other cruise lines on the Basque port's roster are P&O, Oceania, TUI, Hurtigruten, Princess, Ponant, Silversea, Costa, Crystal, Lindblad, Sea Cloud, Noble Caledonia, Holland America and Grand Circle.
Last year, cruise tourism directly generated €7.27m towards the city's GDP, supporting 145 jobs and generating a fiscal return of €0.81m.
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