By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation officially started building its first cruise terminal in Japan on 7 October 2019, celebrating with a traditional ground-breaking ceremony.
Located at the port of Sasebo, the new terminal is being constructed as part of a 20-year partnership agreement that was signed in March 2018 between Carnival, the city of Sasebo and the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). All partners have worked together to create an “efficient and contemporary” design for the facility, which will be able to accommodate Carnival’s existing and upcoming ships when it opens in summer 2020.
Carnival will be responsible for operating the terminal over the next 20 years and its nine cruise brands will be given preferential berthing rights.
“As the cruise industry’s first terminal in Japan, this ground-breaking is a historic day for all of us at Carnival Corporation and for our partners in this exciting project,” said Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia. “This new terminal will complement our strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region and furthers our commitment to help facilitate the rising demand for cruise vacations in the region, enabling even more people from around the world to discover why Japan is such an extraordinary destination, one that many of our guests have long enjoyed. And as our company’s first cruise terminal investment in Japan, we are excited to mark the start of our long-term relationship.”
Carnival plans to continue working with Japan’s government and MLIT to identify other potential port development and investment opportunities.
“We are actively working on future investment opportunities to help further support growth and expand the Japanese cruise industry for years to come,” said Thamm.
Ships from seven of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise brands currently visit Japan, including AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn. This year, 15 ships will make nearly 800 calls to more than 50 ports across Japan, which will account for around two million passenger movements.