TUI renews partnership with Emirates to enhance Dubai fly-cruise travel

TUI Cruises has renewed its strategic partnership with Emirates for fly-cruise packages to Dubai ahead of the cruise line’s expanded two-ship season for 2025/26.

The extension to the partnership with signed during ITB Berlin by Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, and Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a premier global cruise tourism hub.

TUI Cruises is one of several cruise lines that homeport annually in Dubai, alongside Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Celestyal, and during the most recent cruise season, Resorts World Cruises.

Emirates and TUI will continue to work together across several areas, including marketing initiatives, planning and operational strategies. Emirates will coordinate flight schedules with TUI Cruises’ itineraries, ensuring optimal connectivity between plane and ship.

The airline and cruise company will also collaborate on dedicated capacity in the form of ‘cruise blocks’ to meet demand from key markets across the airline’s network where possible. Emirates will also work with its partners locally to enhance ground transportation solutions between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid.

“We are thrilled to renew our partnership with Emirates, a collaboration that perfectly aligns with our commitment to providing exceptional travel experiences,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.

“By seamlessly integrating air and sea journeys, we are able to offer our guests unparalleled convenience and connectivity. Dubai’s strategic location and world-class infrastructure make it an ideal hub for our expanded operations. Besides, it is a popular destination for our guests, offering a unique blend of modern luxury and cultural heritage,” she added.

“We look forward to welcoming more guests aboard our vessels and delivering unforgettable cruise experiences together with Emirates,” Meier said.

As part of the extended partnership, Emirates will also identify other avenues to extend the deal’s scope beyond Dubai, with a focus on Far East cruises, where TUI is sailing several different itineraries for the 2025/26 season, particularly from Singapore.

The partnership also encompasses leveraging data-driven insights to elevate service delivery, with specialised support personnel deployed for cruise passengers to facilitate a more streamlined check in process.

The world-class Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Port Rashid, recognised as the largest single covered cruise facility globally, can support 14,000 cruise passengers daily, while Dubai welcome more than 800,000 cruise tourists during the most recent cruise season, and was on track to break 1-million annual cruise tourists prior to the pandemic.

Dubai’s cruise sector growth stems from expedited customs and visa processes, duty free services, complimentary city shuttles, and Emirates’ dedicated remote check-in facilities at Dubai Cruise Terminal.

At these 16 dedicated check-in counters cruise passengers can process luggage and secure boarding passes up to four hours before departure, affording them the opportunity to explore Dubai unencumbered before making their way back to the airport.

For the upcoming 2025/26 Arabian Gulf cruise season, TUI Cruises will deploy two vessels to Dubai, each accommodating more than 2,500 passengers and sailing two distinct itinerary options featuring embarkation and disembarkation in Dubai with calls at Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar.