Abu Dhabi welcomed a record number of passengers during its cruise season from October 2014 until May 2015

Abu Dhabi welcomed a record number of passengers during its cruise season from October 2014 until May 2015, with the last ship, Seven Seas Voyager, calling at Zayed Port on May 2, 2015, according to a statement from Abu Dhabi Port.

Abu Dhabi’s 2014-2015 cruise season welcomed a record 200,407 passengers and 94 ship-calls, of which the majority are from Europe and America, the statement said.

Europeans in particular are attracted to the Gulf region by its culture and the winter sun, with half of the visitors originating from Germany and the next two biggest groups coming from Italy and the UK.

A survey conducted by the Abu Dhabi Ports this year on the activities of cruise tourists when they are in the emirate revealed that more than 61,000 visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and 70,028 chose to go shopping at the malls. A further 43,700 explored the Heritage Village while others took Big Bus tours, visits to Al Ain or trips to the Arabian Nights Village. Read More