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AIDA Cruises presents Tour Operator Service Award for 2018/2019 winter season

AIDACruises has presented the Tour Operator Service Award for the second time. Thecruise company asked its guests as part of a large-scale survey whichexcursions in the 2018/19 winter season had been their favorites. Thousands ofguests gave their feedback on the excursions offered by over 100 agencypartners in the Canaries and Madeira, and in the cruise regions of the IndianOcean, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, the Persian Gulf and the WesternMediterranean. Dnata/Gulf Ventures from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and AbuDhabi) and Qatar (Doha) took first place, followed by Bourbon Tourisme from LaRéunion, and TuiEspaña Turismo, S.L.U. which is based in Spain and the Canary Islands.

Todetermine the winner, several thousands of guest comments were analyzed usingan on-board feedback system during the period from November 2018 until March2019. Apart from quality and guest satisfaction, the number of recommendationswas also an important criterion in choosing the winners. In addition, feedback relatingto communication and how the excursions were conducted, provided by crewmembers aboard the ships, was included in the assessment.

Frank Bönsch, Director Shore Excursion, and SandraNeffgen, Head of Shore Excursion Program, presented the award in Dubai at thebeginning of May 2019 to Samir Meta, Saleh Mohamad and Nael Jouana fromDnata/Gulf Ventures. The agency also won an electricscooter so that staff can be sustainably mobile in future.

The next Tour Operator Service Award will be presented atthe end of the 2019 summer season. Once again, all AIDA guests will be asked toshare their opinions during the summer months. This time the excursions beingoffered by around 50 agencies in the Western Mediterranean, the Adriatic,Northern Europe and the Baltic will be assessed.

AIDA Cruises currently offers over 6,000 differentexcursions across its worldwide destinations. The cruise company not only givesits guests unforgettable experiences but also wishes to contribute toenvironmental conservation, and to promote cultural heritage and furtherdevelopment in its cruise destinations.

In September 2012, AIDA Cruises already launched a jointproject with the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. to develop standardized criteria forsustainable shore excursions. This project's goal was to create a transparentbasis of comparison for the sustainability of individual excursions, founded onthe analysis of measurable, scientific criteria. Today over 1,100 AIDA Cruisesexcursions (incl. bicycle and pedelec tours) bear the tree symbol todemonstrate their sustainability.

Furtherinformation about AIDA Cruises' diverse travel program is available from travelagencies, the AIDA Customer Center at +49 (0) 381/20 27 07 07 or at www.aida.de.

Rostock,May 28, 2019

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