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

Tour Operator Award Winter 2018/19

AIDA Cruises has presented the Tour Operator Service Award for the second time. The cruise company asked its guests as part of a large-scale survey which excursions in the 2018/19 winter season had been their favorites. Thousands of guests gave their feedback on the excursions offered by over 100 agency partners in the Canaries and Madeira, and in the cruise regions of the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, the Persian Gulf and the Western Mediterranean. Dnata/Gulf Ventures from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and Qatar (Doha) took first place, followed by Bourbon Tourisme from La Réunion, and Tui España Turismo, S.L.U. which is based in Spain and the Canary Islands.

To determine the winner, several thousands of guest comments were analyzed using an on-board feedback system during the period from November 2018 until March 2019. Apart from quality and guest satisfaction, the number of recommendations was also an important criterion in choosing the winners. In addition, feedback relating to communication and how the excursions were conducted, provided by crew members aboard the ships, was included in the assessment.
Frank Bönsch, Director Shore Excursion, and Sandra Neffgen, Head of Shore Excursion Program, presented the award in Dubai at the beginning of May 2019 to Samir Meta, Saleh Mohamad and Nael Jouana from Dnata/Gulf Ventures. The agency also won an electric scooter so that staff can be sustainably mobile in future.

The next Tour Operator Service Award will be presented at the end of the 2019 summer season. Once again, all AIDA guests will be asked to share their opinions during the summer months. This time the excursions being offered 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 different excursions across its worldwide destinations. The cruise company not only gives its guests unforgettable experiences but also wishes to contribute to environmental conservation, and to promote cultural heritage and further development in its cruise destinations.
In September 2012, AIDA Cruises already launched a joint project with the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. to develop standardized criteria for sustainable shore excursions. This project’s goal was to create a transparent basis of comparison for the sustainability of individual excursions, founded on the analysis of measurable, scientific criteria. Today over 1,100 AIDA Cruises excursions (incl. bicycle and pedelec tours) bear the tree symbol to demonstrate their sustainability.

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