The TUI Group continues to expand its own Hotel and Cruise portfolio. The world's leading tourism business will modernise its Thomson Cruises business in the UK through the acquisition of “Legend of the Seas” from Royal Caribbean International (RCI). Thomson Cruises is part of the British subsidiary TUI UK & Ireland which is acquiring the 63,000 tonne vessel directly from RCI. Thomson Cruises will operate the vessel, to be renamed “TUI Discovery 2”, from May 2017. Through the acquisition, the Thomson Cruises fleet will to six ships. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition delivers on the TUI Group strategy. TUI owns tour operators, airlines, hotels and cruises businesses. The cruise business is being a focus for driving growth for the global TUI Group as well as for TUI UK & Ireland.
David Burling, member of the Executive Board at TUI Group and responsible for the Northern Region commented: “We continue to grow and invest in our own hotel and cruise portfolio. The introduction of ‘TUI Discovery 2’ in May 2017 will accelerate our transformation programme for Thomson Cruises. We are moving quickly to renew our fleet. With this ship, Thomson Cruises will be able to capitalise on strong growing demand. It is also our goal to enhance earnings opportunities in the future.“
In order to grow ahead of the market, the acquisition of “Legend of the Seas” will allow TUI Group to broaden its offering, together with the launch of the first “TUI Discovery” for Thomson Cruises next week and arrival of “Mein Schiff 5” for TUI Cruises in July 2016. With the delivery of “Mein Schiff 7” and “Mein Schiff 8” for TUI Cruises, “Mein Schiff 1” and “Mein Schiff 2” will be acquired for the Thomson Cruises fleet in 2018 and 2019 respectively, signalling four ships in four years for UK cruise customers.
The 1,832 capacity ship (double occupancy) has 915 cabins, nearly 40 per cent of which have balconies. Customers will enjoy a wider choice of facilities and all-inclusive dining and entertainment options.