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B M & T ••• March/April 2017 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 29 R oyal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) together with Miami-Dade County, recent- ly broke ground for the new cutting edge cruise Terminal A at Port Miami. Terminal A will be a striking addition to Port Miami, serving as homeport to several Royal Caribbean International ships, including two of the world's largest and most innovative cruise ships – Allure of the Seas and the newly announced Symphony of the Seas. "This is an exciting collaboration with Miami-Dade County and Port Miami to create not just another cruise terminal but an iconic state-of- the-art facility," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Terminal A reinforces our unwavering commitment to our hometown, the city where our company first started nearly 50 years ago." "Miami-Dade County is happy to welcome Royal Caribbean's Terminal A, and the economic factors that will benefit Miami-Dade," said Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County mayor. "Our public-private partnership will have an estimated economic impact of $500 million and generate more than 4,000 jobs. This will make Port Miami Royal Caribbean's largest cruise port in the U.S., solidifying Port Miami's status as the 'Cruise Capital of the World.'" Once completed in October 2018, Terminal A will be LEED certified and accommodate a 1,300-ft. long ship. Royal Caribbean will implement the best technologies to deliver a state-of-the-art guest experience. Terminal A will not be the only addition for Royal Caribbean this year, RCL has added a 20,000-sq. ft. Innovation Lab to its corporate headquarters. The Innovation Lab will continue to generate the design of Royal Caribbean's industry-leading ships. Currently, Port Miami welcomes approximately 750,000 Royal Caribbean passengers annually, representing about 15 percent of its overall passenger traffic. Once the new cruise ter- minal is completed, it is anticipated that Royal Caribbean will generate at least 1.8 million travelers at Port Miami – repre- senting no less than 30 percent of the port's projected passen- ger traffic. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. RCL is a 50 percent joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, and has a 49 percent interest in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and a minority interest in SkySea Cruises. Together, these brands operate a com- bined total of 49 ships with an additional thirteen on order. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 535 destina- tions on all seven continents. Additional informa- tion can be found on www.rclcorpo-rate.com. Port Miami is among America's busiest ports and recognized across the globe as the Cruise Capital of the World and Global Gateway. Port Miami contributes more than $27 billion annually to the South Florida economy and helps generate 207,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs. For more information please visit www.portmiami.biz. ROYAL CARIBBEAN AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY BREAK GROUND TO BUILD WORLD-CLASS CRUISE TERMINAL AT PORTMIAMI The State-of-the-Art Terminal will Become Home to Two of the Largest Oasis-Class Ships – Allure of the Seas and the Newly Announced Symphony of the Seas