LNG ships
Opened in 2016 during the Seatrade Cruise Med conference that took place in Tenerife, the terminal offers passengers a comfortable experience and modern conveniences. It also can accommodate next-generation cruise ships powered by liquefied natural gas, and will welcome AIDAnova on its maiden voyage this month as the world's first cruise ship that can be powered by LNG both at sea and in port.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife handled 617,987 passengers in 2017, making it one of the busiest cruise ports in the Canary Islands and the first to attract an investment by a major cruise company.
Seven Carnival Corp. brands—AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises—call at Tenerife during the course of the year. Carnival Corp. expects to bring more than 300,000 passenger visits to the port in 2018—half of all cruise passenger visits—with 130 calls by 31 ships from the company's various brands.
Economic impact
'Carnival Corporation has long been a valued partner with the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Canary Islands, and we are confident that they will be a wonderful steward of our recently built cruise port,' said Pedro Suárez López de Vergara, president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 'Thanks in large part to Carnival Corporation ships, the cruise market generated an economic impact to the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the city of Santa Cruz of €24 million ($27.1m) in the 2018 cruise season, an increase of €6 million from the 2017 cruise season, and we look forward to continuing to share our beautiful island with visiting cruise passengers coming through this cruise terminal.'
As part of this long-term agreement, the Port Authority aims to extend the benefits to its other ports—Santa Cruz de La Palma, San Sebastián de La Gomera, La Estaca in El Hierro and Los Cristianos in Tenerife.
The president continued: 'Our ports are performing very well in the cruise business – last year we received nearly 1 million cruise passengers and we are confident to increase this figure close to 2 percent in 2018. We expect the new partnership will boost the cruise business in the region.'
Long-term strategy
'This concession and our ongoing investment is part of Carnival Corporation's long-term strategy to continue to develop the cruise industry in the Canary Islands,' said Giora Israel, SVP global port and destination development for Carnival Corp. 'Our passion is to always provide the best possible experiences for our guests, and Tenerife is an extremely popular destination that offers something for everyone, including a storied history, beautiful beaches, exotic gardens, unique crafts and memorable cuisine. We look forward to ensuring that our cruise guests coming through the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife have a great experience, and we also look forward to expanding relationships with our friends in Tenerife.'
Carnival Corp. also manages two other cruise terminals in Spain, Helix and Palacruceros in Barcelona.
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