The president of the Port Authority and the city councilor for Tourism visited the ship today, which is making its debut in the port of A Coruña with nearly 3,000 passengers.
Enrique Losada highlighted the current strength of the sector, which is experiencing its peak season in A Coruña, and predicted a slight increase in total figures for this year, with 93 port calls and 130,000 passengers.
He noted the interest shown by shipping companies in the urban redevelopment of the area surrounding the cruise terminal and announced that a new section of the Marina project will be opened to the public in the coming weeks.
The president of the Port Authority, Enrique Losada, visited the ship today.<Aida Diva> on its first stop in A Coruña. Also present at the onboard reception were the Councilor for Tourism, María Luisa Cid, as well as the Maritime Captain, Gustavo Ortega, and representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps and the shipping agent Pérez y Cia. During this visit, the ship's captain expressed his satisfaction at calling at the port of A Coruña for the first time, and stated that the objective is to maintain the<Aida Diva> on this route.
The ship docked at the Transatlantic Pier at 7:00 a.m., arriving from Lisbon, and is scheduled to depart for Santander at 5:00 p.m. With 2,100 passengers and 800 crew members on board, the<Aida Diva> It is part of the fleet of the Aida shipping company, one of the most prominent and frequent in the port, with very eye-catching cruise ships, which is part of the Carnival group, the leading operator of transatlantic liners internationally.
The president of the Port Authority expressed his satisfaction with a new first call in A Coruña, further demonstrating the current boom in the cruise sector. He specifically emphasized that April and May represent the peak cruise season in A Coruña, with a total of 30 scheduled calls and approximately 40,000 passengers. Enrique Losada highlighted that the overall forecast for the entire year remains positive, with 130,000 passengers and 50,000 crew members expected across the 93 scheduled calls. This represents a slight increase compared to last year and, as the president of the public body noted, maintains the upward trend that began in 2009, solidifying A Coruña's position as the leading port on the Cantabrian-Atlantic coast in terms of cruise ship calls.
Enrique Losada emphasized the importance of the growth in cruise traffic for the city, both for its role in the international promotion of the destination and for the economic return it generates, mainly for the service sector, which is estimated at 10 million euros annually.
Furthermore, both shipping companies and passengers and crew will benefit from an added advantage: the redevelopment of the Marina and O Parrote area, which has already been met with great interest at the recent Cruise Shipping event in Miami, and which was also discussed during the reception at the<Aida Diva> The president of the Port Authority pointed out that this new look for the city will drastically change the first impression passengers receive upon arriving in A Coruña and will improve the urban quality, comfort and safety of the area where they disembark.
Regarding the progress of the works, Enrique Losada reported that they are proceeding well, with the tunnel already 90% complete and the surface development advancing towards its opening in the near future. The president of the Port Authority announced that a new section of the Marina area, adjacent to the one recently opened, will be opened to the public in the coming days.
