Seven-day TUI Cruises on the Mein Schiff in 2011 will start and finish in Valletta, the company has announced.

It said that the cruises, run from May to November, will call at the ports of Piraeus (Athens), Kusadasi (Turkey), Mykonos, Catania (Sicily), Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno, Monte Carlo and Ajaccio (Corsica).

“Having Valletta as the port of departure gives us the opportunity of having a quite exceptional schedule,” TUI Cruises chief executive Richard J. Vogel said.

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

Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said that the choice of Valletta as the home port for the Mein Schiff was gratifying.

Malta, he said, would continue with its endeavours to further expand Valletta as a competitive cruise ship destination and a convenient base for home porting, given its strategic location.

John Portelli, CEO of cruise port operator Viset said that his organisation was committed to delivering the highest standards of service in order to ensure that TUI’s decision was a success for all partners in the industry.

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