After two decades of settling for sub-par facilities, San Francisco will finally welcome cruise liners into its multimillion dollar two storey facility, Pier 27. Built with a combination of glass and aluminium, this new cruise ship terminal is an impressive structure offering state of the art facilities as well as breathtaking views over the metropolis.
Cementing the city’s status as a popular cruise ship port of call
The new terminal is expecting its first ship in September or October, when it will welcome 3000 passengers through its doors. The North Californian city is currently experiencing unprecedented growth in its leisure cruise scene and the opening of the new terminal ensures San Francisco can offers its guests premium boarding and disembarkation facilities.
Peter Dailey, Maritime Director for the Port of San Francisco said “It’s been a long time coming to get this built. “We’re really proud we could pull it off and we’re looking forward to having the first ship come in.”
Cruise ship passengers play an important role in the city’s tourism economy, with the average traveller channelling a daily estimate of $168 into local restaurants, shops, activities and attractions. With the city expecting 260,000 passengers in 2014 and 300,000 the following year, the new cruise terminal will serve as the backbone of the San Francisco cruise tourism industry.
With unique attractions such as the world famous Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Prison and Fisherman’s Wharf as well as lively shopping, restaurant and nightlife scenes, San Francisco is fast emerging as one of North America’s most popular port of calls. Thanks to the development of Pier 27, the boarding and disembarkation experience will be easier, faster and more enjoyable than ever.
A premier events setting
As well as greeting passengers, Pier 27 is also set to become a trendy party and events venue, port officials giving the go-ahead for up to 67 events each year. Global companies LinkedIn and Salesforce have already secured bookings at a rate of $45,905. Expected to generate an estimated annual events income of $2.4 million, Pier 27 will be one of San Francisco’s most prestigious venues.
“It’s such a beautiful location and a beautiful building” said Tom Kiely, Executive Vice President of Tourism at the San Francisco Travel Association. “There’s no better view than from where that cruise terminal is located.”
While there have been several previous developer attempts to build a new terminal, all have pulled out after running into money issues and elevated infrastructure costs. After years of disappointment, port officials finally made the decision to take responsibility for building a first-class facility. Drawing on bond sales, capital funds, federal grants and pre-sale ticket income, the port was finally able to turn its vision into a reality.
Want to experience the exciting new Pier 27 facility for yourself?
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