Carnival to expand German cruise fleet
Carnival Corporation has responded to rival Royal Caribbean’s joint cruise venture with TUI AG by ordering two more ships for its German brand AIDA Cruises.
The two 2,174 passenger ships will cost 380 million euros and 385 million euros respectively and are due to enter service for summer 2011 and 2012.
Another ship pencilled in for AIDA is to be enlarged to match the size of the two 71,000-ton new orders and is to be delivered in 2010 at a cost of 350 million euros.
The two newbuilds means that Carnival has ordered six new ships dedicated to the German market in the past three years.
The vessels will operate an informal ‘club resort’ concept marketed exclusively to German-speaking passengers and will be aimed at younger, more active passengers.
The new ships will join the 68,500-ton ADIAbella due to enter service next April and a sister ship due to be delivered in April 2009. The first in this series, AIDAdiva, was introduced earlier this year.
Carnival chairman and CEO Micky Arison said: “With the interest in cruise vacations among Europeans continuing to grow significantly, we are committed to investing in our European brands.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025