Viking, an operator of river and ocean cruises, and a group of shareholders were set to raise more than $1 billion in an initial public offering on Wednesday.
16.04.2024 - 22:00 / travelpulse.com / Lacey Pfalz
Malaysia is looking to grow its tourism industry by positioning itself as an ideal Southeast Asian cruise destination in the years to come.
Last year, the country welcomed a record of cruise travelers, welcoming 1,055 cruise ships with over 1.5 million travelers throughout the year.
These numbers mark a nearly 85 percent increase in ship arrivals and a 62 percent increase in cruise visitors when compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic totals. Major ports include those in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu (where travelers can experience one of Malaysia's biggest attractions, Mount Kinabalu), Penang and Langkawi, which is a UNESCO-designated World Geopark.
Two cruise lines currently homeport from Port Klang in the country’s capital of Kuala Lumpur. Costa Cruises’ Costa Serena began homeporting from Port Klang in January, 2024 and is the most recent to do so.
Tourism Malaysia hopes to expand Port Klang to allow more ships to visit. It’s part of the destination management organization’s overarching Visit Malaysia 2026 goal, which hopes to welcome 35.6 million tourists in 2026.
Tourism Malaysia also recently attended the annual Seatrade Cruise Global event. The Honorable Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport Malaysia, delivered a keynote address entitled, “Malaysia Truly Asia: Malaysia Cruise Tourism” as a way to introduce the destination to those who may not be familiar with it.
"We are again thrilled to be part of Seatrade Cruise Global,” said Mr. Akbal Setia, Vice President of Tourism Malaysia for the Americas. “This event provides an excellent platform to highlight Malaysia's potential as a homeport and to forge valuable connections with industry leaders. We look forward to engaging with the global cruise community and inviting them to experience the wonders of Malaysia, especially in developing suitable cruise tourism trips and packages into Malaysia.”
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Viking, an operator of river and ocean cruises, and a group of shareholders were set to raise more than $1 billion in an initial public offering on Wednesday.
Hard Rock International, Seminole Gaming, Royal Caribbean International, and Celebrity Cruises are joining forces in a global partnership deal that will let travelers take advantage of perks and discounts across all four of the powerhouse brands.As part of the massive deal, millions of customers who are members of each brands’ loyalty and casino rewards programs will now have access to “reciprocal benefits.” The loyalty programs include Unity by Hard Rock, Royal Caribbean’s Club Royale, and Celebrity Cruises’ Blue Chip Club. Moving forward, members of all of the programs will earn reciprocal benefits anytime they play, stay, dine, or shop at participating Hard Rock locations or sail on any Royal Caribbean or Celebrity ships.“We see this as a marriage made in heaven,” Jeff Hook, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Seminole Hard Rock Support Services, told TravelPulse during a recent interview."If you’re customer of Hard Rock, now you don’t just have benefits with Hard Rock, you also have benefits with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. And conversely if you're a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity member, you now have benefits with Hard Rock.”
In honor of Global Travel Advisor Day, coming up on May 1, Riviera River Cruises is rolling out a series of booking incentives throughout the entire month of May.
Celestyal Cruises is expanding into the Middle East with new itineraries and new ports in the Arabian Gulf.
Windstar Cruises is rolling out new perks to say “thank you” to travel advisors.
Are you looking to take a cruise between now and the end of the year? We have some bad news: You might have a tough time finding a cabin — at least if you want a specific type of room on a specific ship.
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Windstar Cruises is making big changes to its guest services department.
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