TUI Group Is Quietly Joining the Cruise Heavyweights


Skift Take

TUI Group is slowly building up quite a formidable cruise operation. How long before it starts to consider buying out joint venture partner Royal Caribbean?

TUI Group is looking to bolster its cruise division by adding another ship as part of an effort to modernize and expand its fleet. The multinational tourism company, which isn’t necessarily thought of as a big cruise operator, will have a fleet of 18 ships by 2023. By comparison, Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator, has 103 ships across nine brands. As part of the expansion, TUI is buying Golden Era from Royal Caribbean Cruises for the group’s British cruise subsidiary, Marella Cruises. At the same time, the current Mein Schiff 2 vessel, which was due to join Marella Cruise