World's largest travel and leisure company
will invest more than 30 million
euros to construct and operate its second private cruise
terminal at Port of Barcelona
Expanding one of five global ports operated by
Carnival Corporation, the new Barcelona cruise terminal will be ready to
accommodate the company's new class of cruise ships arriving in
2018 and 2019
MIAMI, July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest travel and leisure company, today announced it has signed
an agreement with the Port Authority of Barcelona to invest more than 30 million euros to build and operate its second
private cruise terminal at the Port of Barcelona, which is used by seven of the
company's 10 cruise line brands as both a destination and home
port. As part of the agreement, the Port Authority granted Carnival
Corporation administrative concessions to operate the cruise
terminal and all-new parking facility at Europe's largest port and the fourth busiest
port in the world.
With the agreement, Carnival Corporation has been granted
approval to begin the final design process and start construction
of the new terminal in 2016. Scheduled to open as early as 2018 in
the Port's Adossat wharf, the new terminal will be one of
Europe's largest at 11,500 square
meters.
In addition, Carnival Corporation will collaborate with the Port
to build and open the first public parking facility located on the
cruise pier, providing guests embarking on cruises convenient
access to over 300 parking spaces.
"As an all-new, next-generation cruise facility, the terminal
will be designed to enhance the overall cruise experience for
Carnival Corporation's guests," said Michel Nestour, managing
director of Carnival Corporation terminal operations in
Barcelona. "This will include
making it easy and convenient for guests, whether they are arriving
at the terminal to begin a cruise vacation, disembarking following
the completion of a cruise or visiting Barcelona as one of the ports of call on a
cruise. In all cases, our goal is to exceed guest expectations
through every stage of the cruise experience, and this new terminal
will be built to meet that goal."
"We are excited about our ongoing partnership with Carnival
Corporation to enhance our facilities at the Port of Barcelona and continue our momentum as one of
the top cruise destinations in the world," said Sixte Cambra, president of the Port Authority of
Barcelona. "This new agreement
ensures that we will continue to meet the growing popularity of
cruising to and from Barcelona,
accommodate the latest in cruise ship designs and most importantly
provide cruise passengers with the highest levels of quality and
service."
Added Giora Israel, senior vice
president of global port and destination development for Carnival
Corporation: "In the past several years Barcelona has seen a consistent surge in
growth as a very popular destination for our cruise guests. And as
the largest port in Europe, it
continues to be a great city and port for both our guests and our
cruise line brands. We are excited to expand our operations at the
Port of Barcelona with our second
private terminal, as it enhances our ability to provide a great
experience for our guests. Based on our very positive working
relationship with our partners in Barcelona, we see a truly bright future for
the cruising industry in Barcelona
and look forward to continuing to work with the Port and the city
of Barcelona to welcome our cruise
guests to one of the most beautiful, vibrant and popular cities in
Europe and the Mediterranean."
Across its six existing terminals in 2014, the Port of
Barcelona had 764 cruise calls and
over 2.36 million passenger movements. Overall, according to
studies by the Barcelona's Tourist
Office in 2013, cruise passengers had an economic impact of nearly
257 million euros in Barcelona based on spending on restaurants,
transport and trade in the city. A large percentage of cruise
passengers are experienced travelers who take vacations as couples,
single-unit families, multi-generational and extended families and
friends, and who enjoy exploring cities such as Barcelona on their own or on organized shore
excursions to visit museums, churches, restaurants, shops and
more.
When Carnival Corporation's terminal is launched in 2018, it
will represent a significant expansion of the company's presence in
the Port of Barcelona. Carnival
Corporation operates four additional global ports, including
Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Turk Cruise Center in
Turks and Caicos Islands; Mahogany
Bay in Roatan, Honduras; and
Long Beach in California. Carnival Corporation also operates
two private island destinations in the Caribbean, Princess Cays and Half Moon
Cay.
Carnival Corporation will open Amber
Cove in October 2015 in the
Puerta Plata region of the Dominican
Republic, which will be the company's sixth global port
operation. The company is also expanding operations at its
Puerta Maya port in Cozumel, adding a third pier to be able to
receive three ships simultaneously starting with the upcoming
winter cruising season. In total, Carnival Corporation cruise ships
visit over 725 ports of call around the world.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in
the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Line,
Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises,
Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK) and
fathom.
Together, these brands operate 100 ships in 2015 totaling
219,000 lower berths with eight new ships scheduled to be delivered
between 2016 and 2018. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates
Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies
in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon.
Traded on both the New York and
London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only
group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the
FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com,
www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.