MEDIA

04 Apr 2023

Global Ports Holding Reveals Latest Updates on its West Med Cruise Ports

Global Ports Holding ("GPH"), the world's largest cruise port operator, announced the latest updates on its ongoing projects in the West Mediterranean region during a Regional Reception as part of the Seatrade Cruise Global event on March 29th. The event showcased GPH's commitment to providing state-of-the-art cruise ports that prioritize sustainability and guest experience, and highlighted project updates on Alicante, Las Palmas, and Tarragona Cruise Ports, as well as exciting news on Global Ports Services.

Javier Rodriguez Sanchez, Regional Director West Med & Asia, provided an update on GPH's newest addition to their network, Alicante Cruise Port. Under a 15-year concession agreement, GPH is set to welcome its first call on March 27th. With a planned investment of up to EUR 2.0m, the cruise terminal will undergo refurbishment and modernization to include new F&B and retail areas that will enhance cruise guest experience. Alicante is set to experience a record-breaking year for turnaround passengers in 2023, with interporting regular itineraries.

Alba Colet, Commercial Manager of Tarragona Cruise Port, shared the latest developments regarding the port. GPH started operations in Tarragona in April 2022 and plans to build a new state-of-the-art modular cruise terminal that will utilize solar power to ensure the sustainable provision of the terminal's energy needs. Tarragona is located only 55 minutes south of Barcelona airport, and construction of the new cruise terminal is expected to start in Q2 2023 and be finalized in May 2024. Tarragona is set to reach turnaround passenger records during the 2023 season with interporting regular itineraries.

Susana Gutierrez, Interim General Manager of Las Palmas Cruise Ports, provided an update on the three ports in the Canary Islands: Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote Cruise Ports. GPH, together with its local partner, started operations at the three cruise ports in October 2022. The project includes the construction of new cruise terminals in all three ports, with the largest one in Las Palmas.  The project features a 14,400m2 terminal build from sustainable recycled materials to achieve low carbon footprint that will be able to provide smoother homeporting and transit operations at one of the busiest ports in Spain. With an ability to handle the largest cruise ships in the world simultaneously, the port will have new retail and F&B experiences, 40 bus capacity, and an improved operational structure. Construction of new cruise terminals in Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote will start in Q2 2023 and be finalized in March-May 2024 for Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and May 2025 for Las Palmas. Passenger volumes are set to rebound strongly in 2023, with an average increase of +20% expected across the three islands.

Jordi Guillem, Manager of Global Ports Services presented an overview of the company's offerings, which include integrated port services packages to cruise lines in all GPH ports and non-GPH ports worldwide, creating synergies. He also mentioned that the company is in its second season of providing port and ground agency services to cruise lines as part of their integrated service project model in Barcelona and all other Spanish and Portuguese ports. Additionally, Global Ports Services plans to expand its port and ground agency services within the ports under their network in Spain. For the first time, Global Ports Services provided turnaround services in Barcelona for Virgin, marking an exciting development for the company. In addition, GPCI was awarded the entrepreneurship award.

Javier Rodriguez Sanchez, Regional Director West Med & Asia said "We are proud to continue our commitment to sustainable and state-of-the-art cruise ports in the West Mediterranean region, providing exceptional guest experiences. Our ongoing projects in Alicante, Las Palmas, and Tarragona Cruise Ports, as well as exciting updates on Global Ports Services, demonstrate Global Ports Holding's dedication to meeting the evolving needs of the cruise industry and exceeding expectations."