Emirates Holidays to launch cruise division

Emirates Holidays, the biggest tour operator in the Middle East, has revealed plans to launch a specialist cruise division to capitalise on the growing trend for cruise travel in the Middle East.

In an interview, Frederic Bardin, the newly appointed senior vice president – Emirates Holidays pegged cruising as one of the biggest travel trends for the regional market this year.

“People are getting more interested in cruises, especially in the UAE; it’s become a hot topic because there are so many cruise ships coming here now,” said Bardin.

“So its probably awakened interest in some people’s minds – the question is how do you drive these people to actually go on a cruise?

"My aim is to eventually create a specialist cruise unit – because you need specialists to guide you to the right cruise ship.

He explained: "You have cruise ships which cater for elder people, younger people, families, low cost. Then you get sailing charters, yachts which can take 5,000 people, and then you get different parts of the world, you can cruise on a canal in France or a river in Germany. Cruise is an enormous world." 

No projected timeline was given for the launch.