On April 24, a ceremony was held at the Zadar cruise port to celebrate the opening of the new passenger terminal building. The President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, attended the event, along with more than 200 distinguished guests.
Global Ports Holding, the world’s largest independent cruise port operator, has operated the Zadar Cruise Port since September 2018. The terminal boasts 18,000 square meters spread across two floors. As part of the event, a special session of the Zadar County Assembly was held in the building, as part of the County Days taking place this month to highlight the importance of investments in the local community. The terminal’s opening ceremony was attended by Global Ports Holding COO Stephen Xuereb and Zadar Port Authority CEO Robert Škifić, as well as the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Envoy Zvonimir Frka-Patešić, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Josip Bilaver, and the Prefect of Zadar County, Božidar Longin. In his speech, Mr. Xuereb emphasized that he believes that together with all stakeholders, they will do everything possible to bring prosperity and a great future to Zadar, his county, and Croatia.
Emre Sayin, CEO of Global Ports Holding, said: “Last year we were delighted that Zadar Cruise Port joined our global network of 15 cruise ports. The opening of the new passenger terminal marks the next step in the development of Zadar as an exciting and important cruise destination, and we are excited to collaborate closely with Zadar officials and the Croatian government in this endeavor. We look forward to bringing our expertise in operations and marketing to Zadar.”
Barbaros Özakan, Managing Director of Zadar Cruise Port, commented: “At the beginning of April, we welcomed the first cruise ship to our new terminal, kicking off this year’s cruise season. Since then, nearly 10,000 cruise passengers have passed through and experienced our facilities. We look forward to welcoming many more in the months and years to come.”
