Abu Dhabi wins best cruise destination at World Travel Awards

Abu Dhabi won “World’s Best Cruise Destination” and “Middle East’s Best Cruise Destination” this year at the World Cruise Awards in London.

AD Ports Group’s Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal at Port Zayed also won “World’s Best Cruise Terminal” and “Middle East’s Best Cruise Terminal”.

The four awards were won amid a strong rebound in cruise tourism traffic as Abu Dhabi, the wider UAE, and the Middle East recovers from the disruption of the pandemic.

“The four awards are a testament to Abu Dhabi’s position as a cruise destination of choice, highlighting the emirate’s world-class facilities and hospitality,” Abu Dhabi Media Office said.

Abu Dhabi won the “best cruise destination” title over other top destinations that were nominated this year, including Mauritius, Mexico, Jamaica, Alaska and the Philippines, according to the World Cruise Awards.

The annual awards programme seeks to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the global cruise sector, according to the World Cruise Awards organisers.

The world’s cruise industry was hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, posting billion-dollar losses. 

As economies around the world reopened, cruise passenger numbers started to recover, and the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal at Port Zayed has seen remarkable growth.

The city welcomed more than 700,000 visitors during the 2022/23 cruise season, nearly quadrupling the previous season’s 177,639 visitors.

Some 184 cruise ship calls were made to Abu Dhabi during the season, up from 130 calls in the previous season.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, and while Dubai is the primary cruise port in the Arabian Gulf for homeporting cruise lines and cruise ship calls, the city has worked to establish itself as a major regional cruise destination.

MSC Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises all offer Abu Dhabi as a homeport in addition to Dubai during their annual winter cruise seasons in the Arabian Gulf, and the city is now almost on-par with Dubai in terms of cruise passenger numbers.

Abu Dhabi is popular with passengers for its shore excursions options, home to one of the largest mosques in the world (the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque), the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Yas Island F1 race track, dune bashing safaris and natural wonders like the Eastern Mangroves.

The Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal is a modern state-of-the-art building with all the essentials cruise passengers are likely to need while in port (including a convenience store, free Wi-Fi, currency exchange, tour operators, and souvenir shops). 

The cruise terminal also offers airline check-in desks so that departing passengers can check into their flight, drop their bags, and then do some more sight-seeing on the way to the airport.