3,000-member luxury cruise ‘Mein Schiff 5’ calls at Colombo Port today

• Fresh boost for revival of tourism via initiative by Hapag Lloyd Lanka and Aitken Spence Travels

Boosting the revival of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, Hapag Lloyd Lanka is ushering in super luxury cruise ‘Mein Schiff 5’ today at the Port of Colombo and to be followed by a call at the Hambantota Port tomorrow.

Over 2,000 passengers (mostly European) and 900 crew members are on-board this cruise. Hapag Lloyd Lanka, a subsidiary of the Aitken Spence Group, are the agents for TUI cruises. Mein Schiff 5 is owned by the German operator TUI cruises.

As this is the maiden call of Mein Schiff 5 to Port of Colombo and Hambantota, there will be a ceremonious event to exchange the plaques between the Captain with crew and the port officials and the same to follow at the Port of Hambantota.

Aitken Spence Travels is the shore excursion partner for Mein Schiff 5 in Sri Lanka. They will offer excursions for majority of the passengers covering locations and tours such as Colombo City tours, walking tours, panoramic Colombo tours, tuk-tuk tours, Muthurajawela boat safari tours, temple tours to Kelaniya, agro village, tea plantations, Sigiriya by air taxi, Galle day tours, beach breaks, Madu ganga river safaris and cultural shows. The excursions are designed to create memories in Sri Lanka through experiences with culture, cuisine, architecture, heritage and way of life.

It is encouraging to see efforts materialise with the active involvement of the Aitken Spence Group in the maritime sector and tourism sector to offer comprehensive synergised services whilst bringing the much-needed foreign exchange into the country.

Hapag Lloyd Lanka has won multiple awards during the year and is the only liner agency company in Sri Lanka to have both the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 accreditations, proving its mettle as the industry benchmark.

Aitken Spence Travels is the leading Destination Management Company (DMC) having a market leader position handling over 60% of the shore excursions of cruise ships that call over to Sri Lanka. The company is a joint venture between Aitken Spence and TUI.