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Louis Cruise Lines may choose
Malta as a home port
by David Kelleher
Louis Cruise Lines, one of the biggest companies worldwide
is opting to use Malta as a home port and the company believes
that cruises out of Malta will generate additional business
when people realise that Malta is a fly cruise destination.
The fact that the Serenade will be based in Malta will be generating
benefits for the Maltese economy. Cruise passengers will be
flying into Malta rather than into another Mediterranean country
to start off their cruise. Usually this category of tourists
combine their cruise with a few days at the same home port location
before and/or after the cruise.
Louis Cruise Lines Ltd is rated as fifth biggest by Lloyd’s
List and is listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange. The company
has appointed Euromed Cruises as their partners in Malta. As
from 27 July, they will be offering two- and three-day cruises
starting from Malta to three different destinations in the Mediterranean
at affordable prices.
Euromed Cruises has been formed by five locally well-established
names in the tourist sector. These are United Group, SMS Group,
Edrichton Holidays, Arrigo Group and Fortel Services Limited.
The development of Louis as a cruise operator, not only in the
Mediterranean but also to other exotic destinations such as
the Caribbean, has been one of steady growth. The Louis Organisation
was founded back in 1938 by the late Louis Loizou. Since then,
it has been committed to fulfilling the needs and wishes of
its customers ensuring the best quality for the best price.
In the early 1980s, when it ventured into the cruise market,
it developed Cyprus into a popular cruise gateway to Egypt,
the Holy Land, Beirut and the Greek islands. Today, Louis is
an international organisation with activities in many countries
including Greece, Russia, Poland, Hungary, UK, France, Egypt,
Spain, and the Caribbean among others.
The successful cruise division of the Louis Organisation today
commands more than 60 per cent market share of cruises from
Cyprus and has a dominant position in the Mediterranean, while
it is simultaneously renewing and expanding its present fleet
further.
All its ships have recently been refurbished and equipped with
modern facilities, including restaurants, bars, discos, duty-free
shops, casinos and swimming pools, thus upgrading cruising with
Louis Cruise Lines to high levels of quality and service according
to today’s expected standards.
Another reason for the success of Louis Cruise Lines is its
healthy relationship with over 100 tour operators worldwide.
It offers them all inclusive ship management services ranging
from dock and engine management, crew management, and catering
to entertainment among others under one roof. The company also
runs a chain of duty free shops outside and inside the port
of Limmasol in Cyprus and on board all Louis Cruise Lines and
Royal Olympic Cruises vessels as well as on board Helios Airlines.
Royal Olympic Cruises of Greece, a Nasdaq listed company, is
partly owned by the Louis Cruise Lines Ltd group.
By introducing two- and three-day cruises out of Malta in cooperation
with Euromed Cruises, Louis Cruise Lines is aiming to enhance
the tourist product of Malta and at the same time establish
the island as a cruise centre in the region.
Being an international organisation, it was natural for Louis
to expand into Malta as the island still retains the geographical
advantage of being right in the centre of the Mediterranean
and can serve as an ideal home port for cruises both to the
eastern and western side of this region.
Louis and Euromed will be adding a new dimension to the Maltese
tourism product: visit Malta and another destination. Studies
showed that this approach will attract repeat tourists wanting
to enjoy new experiences such as a visit to Sicily, Tunis or
Naples, and the cruises themselves – starting from Lm40,
Lm47 and Lm70 respectively. These cruise packages will be providing
an added advantage in favour of a Malta choice to those tourists
who would otherwise opt for another Mediterranean destination.
Louis Cruise Lines is looking forward to the projected new cruise
liner terminal in Valletta as it will add another dimension
to the cruise product of Malta.
Euromed Cruises is based at 45, Ordnance Street, Valletta and
can be reached on telephone number 255 280 and fax number 247
021.
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