LONDON: Cruise ports are a hot commodity for discussion these days. Companies like Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Lines, along or in conjunction with countries, are expanding and building new ports…or in some cases, closing them down.
The Gruz Port in that city is building a mixed-use infrastructure cruise terminal at the same location. GPH is the company involved, having built ports in Barcelona, Malaga, Lisbon, Valletta, Singapore and Turkey.
The plan calls for a new cruise terminal, a shopping mall, a multi-story garage and a main city and international bus station built as a modern replica of Dubrovnik’s historical city centre, located only a few kilometres away.
Dubrovnik Gruz Port is located three kilometres away from the Old Town and, by the way, you don’t have to buy a tour to get there. You will find a public bus right outside the terminal.
On-site work is planned to start this year, in September or October. Thousands of miles away, the government of Queensland, Australia is allowing further investigation of a new dedicated cruise terminal in Brisbane. The government has granted an exclusive mandate to Port of Brisbane to investigate the development of a new terminal at Luggage Point.
Carnival Australia Executive Chairman Ann Sherry said Brisbane was one of the country’s main cruise hubs and the government’s decision meant the proposal could now move to the next phase of development.
“Today’s announcement means we are moving one step closer to a solution that meets the long-term needs of the industry for a modern terminal that can accommodate large ships in Brisbane,” Sherry said. Houston’s desire to be a major cruise hub is all but over. In an ambitious and possibly misguided attempt to lure some of the cruise traffic from Galveston, Houston.