TUI signs homeporting agreement with Viset

Valletta is to be Mein Schiff's Mediterranean port of departure in 2011 following an agreement signed between TUI Cruises and Viset Malta plc on Friday.

From May to November 2011, seven-day TUI cruises will start and end in Valletta. On its 'butterfly cruise' schedule, the Mein Schiff will call at Piraeus Athens, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Catania, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Monte Carlo and Ajaccio in Corsica.

TUI Cruises is the only German cruise company to offer two different routes from Malta, in the eastern and western Mediterranean.

Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco said TUI Cruises' choice of Valletta as Mein Schiff's home port was gratifying and represented a commitment.

TUI Cruises is a joint venture of TUI AG and the global cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company, formed in April 2008 and based in Hamburg, has been offering holidays at sea in the German-speaking market since May 2009.