TUI Group, one of the world’s leading tourism group with 1600 travel agencies and 16 cruise lines is setting up camp in Malaysia to promote fly-cruise holidays.
TUI has picked Langkawi to homeport its ships and will offer direct fortnightly flights to Langkawi from three airports in Britain – Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
Passengers who arrive on these flights will spend a day in Langkawi before embarking on a 14-night cruise to destinations in Penang, Port Klang and Melaka in Malaysia before heading to Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
The new initiative will boost European tourist arrivals in Malaysia and promote cruise holidays, the company said.
The direct flights will start from 20 December and run till 29 March 2019.
TUI’s three cruise companies – TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd and the British-based Marella Cruises – have now included Malaysia as part of their cruise itineraries with ships calling at Langkawi, Port Klang and Penang.
Hapag Lloyd is a luxury cruise operator with four ships catering for the German-speaking market, Tui Cruises is a premium line with six vessels and Marella Cruises has five liners serving the British market.
TUI is an Anglo-German travel operator formed more than 40 years ago and owns, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships and retail stores in 180 destinations in the world.
