Partnership underscores power of bringing together seamless sea-air experience
Plans to explore deeper alignment and leverage operational synergies to further bolster cruise demand to Dubai
Reinforcing Dubai’s status as a hub for cruise tourism, Emirates has renewed its partnership with TUI Cruises for the upcoming two cruise seasons.
The renewed partnership with TUI Cruises was signed on the sidelines of ITB Berlin and underscores the airline’s commitment to working with like-minded partners to offer seamless travel experiences, both in the air and on the ground through its dedicated cruise terminal check-in areas and with the collaborative support of its partners in Dubai.
Emirates will closely work with TUI Cruises to offer dedicated flight options that closely align with upcoming cruise schedules, ensuring a smooth transition from air to sea for its customers. The airline will also explore enhanced transportation solutions between Dubai International (DXB) and Port Rashid, leverage insights to improve services on the ground, and provide dedicated support teams for cruise passengers. Currently, the port’s Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, the world’s largest single covered cruise terminal facility, is capable of handling 14,000 passengers a day.
In addition to coordinated operations and exploring marketing synergies, the partnership will focus on developing exclusive luxury packages and experiences that showcase the best of Dubai and the region’s TUI Cruise programmes.
The MoU with TUI Cruises was signed by Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline; and Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.
Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “Emirates is proud to play a vital role in supporting Dubai’s status as one of the world’s best cruise destinations. This is a result of many years of work to build a maritime infrastructure that is second to none, outstanding tourist attractions and landmarks, and unparalleled air connectivity coupled with streamlined on ground customs and handling facilities for inbound cruise tourists. All of these factors have made Dubai a key gateway for some of the most sought-after cruise itineraries. Our agreement with TUI Cruises aims to continue our efforts to boost cruise passenger arrivals from all over our network, so they can experience the best in sea travel aboard TUI’s magnificent ships.”
Wybcke Meier, CEO Tui Cruises said: “For more than ten years, we have been calling at Dubai with the Mein Schiff fleet to give our guests the opportunity to discover the world of the Orient with us. Dubai is not only an important turnaround port, the destination and the region offer what Mein Schiff guests want: a mix of metropolises that are constantly evolving, wonderful beaches and special insights into the culture. With Emirates, we are working successfully with an airline that gives our guests this vacation feeling right from the start.”
Last year, Emirates transported nearly 400,000 cruise passengers to Dubai. The city welcomed over 166 ships during the last cruise season, making it the region’s biggest port of embarkation and most popular call for cruise liners. The city expects an increase of 23% more cruise passengers for the upcoming season.
The growth of cruise liner arrivals in Dubai represents the collective efforts of partners across the travel and aviation ecosystem working together for a seamless experience. This includes hassle-free customs and entry procedures and seamless visa facilities for cruise ship passengers, duty-free outlets and shops, tour-operator desks and complimentary shuttle bus services to the city in addition to Emirates’ own remote check-in desks at Port Rashid.
The 16 Emirates check-in counters allow passengers who are disembarking from their cruise ships to check in their luggage and get their boarding passes up to 4 hours before flight departure with the convenience of exploring Dubai without their bags before heading directly to the airport for their flight.
TUI Cruises will deploy two ships for the upcoming season to Port Rashid. Each ship can accommodate more than 2,500 passengers. Customers have the choice of two programmes, one with embarkation and disembarkation in Dubai, featuring GCC destinations like Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The other itinerary includes Asian points such as Singapore and Hong Kong.