Product innovations and new destinations
German operators Aida Cruises and TUI Cruises have unveiled product innovations and new destinations in a bid to profit from the continuing boom in the cruise market.
In its 2010/11 brochure, TUI Cruises is launching ‘all-inclusive’ cruises for the first time after four successful test trips last year. “After the all-inclusive tours last year we quickly realised that planned holidays are more convenient for our guests,” said managing director Richard Vogel. As a result, the company has decided to launch a full product offering this year as an innovation on four-star vessels. All-inclusive was previously only on offer on some luxury ships. From October 27 onwards, TUI Cruises is offering passengers the option of eating and drinking as much as they want in seven of the ten restaurants and all the bars on board Mein Schiff. This will cost an additional charge of just €10 per person per day. The only exceptions will be for the three specialist restaurants, land excursions and wellness offers.
In terms of destinations, Mein Schiff will not head for the Caribbean in winter 2010/11 but offer seven-day cruises from Gran Canaria to other Canary Islands, Madeira and Morocco. “We are the only ones in our segment that offer two seven-day Canary Islands tours that can be combined with each other,” Vogel declared. In summer 2011, Mein Schiff will cruise the Mediterranean from Malta, with alternating eastbound and westbound trips. Vogel declined to comment on when TUI Cruises would gain its planned second vessel. Experts expect an additional ship to be added in 2011 for lucrative cruises in the Baltic Sea and North Sea.
Meanwhile, German market leader Aida Cruises has unveiled its sailing schedule for April 2011 – April 2012. It will offer cruises in the Black Sea and from Egypt for the first time. The brochure already includes its next new ship, Aida Sol, which will enter the fleet next year as the operator’s eighth vessel.
New cruises include 14-day trips from Antalya to Black Sea ports (Crimea, Sochi, Odessa and Varna) as well as Istanbul from June to August 2011. A new winter destination is the Red Sea, with departures from Sharm el-Sheikh to Eilat, Aqaba and Cairo. “In the winter the Canary Islands and Egypt are the most important destinations for tour operators,” said sales and marketing chief Jörg Eichler. “After already successfully offering the Canary Islands, the Red Sea is next.” In winter 2011/12, there will be seven-day cruises in south-east Asia as well as 14-day North America cruises with Caribbean stopovers.
The Aida Sol, which is the same generation as the recently-christened Aida Blu, will initially offer short trips to Western European cities and then cruise the Baltic Sea. The city trips first offered with the Aida Blu are already selling very well while the Baltic Sea “sells itself”, Eichler said.
The Aida sales chief said he was very satisfied with bookings for the current business year. “We have already achieved 80% of the bookings for the year up to the end of November,” he stated. The trend to late bookings had been successfully stopped with more early booking discounts. Price for 2011/12 will be kept stable.
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