Partnership will provide travellers to South China with a one-stop fly-cruise experience
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Genting Cruise Lines and China Southern Airlines have signed a memorandum of understanding for a fly-cruise partnership, which aims to help develop Guangzhou, China as a world-class cruise homeport and travel hub.
China Southern Airlines, which has the largest air fleet in Asia, will pool its resources in product development, sales, marketing and promotions with those from Genting Cruise Lines – which includes the Star Cruises and Dream Cruises brands – to create innovative travel products. These will include a new ‘Air + Cruise + Travel’ programme targeting individual travellers, groups and those in the meetings incentive, conference and events (MICE) sector.
Both companies will also develop joint promotion opportunities on loyalty programmes, such as exclusive access to VIP lounges and express check-ins, affiliate rewards programmes, express luggage portal service and more. The partnership will provide travellers with a one-stop fly-cruise experience.
“As the first cruise line dedicated to the development of the cruising industry in Southern China, Genting Cruise Lines is pioneering this cross-industry strategic collaboration with China Southern Airlines to initiate the full-fledged launch of the fly-cruise concept in China,” said Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines. “It is our goal to expand the source market of Guangzhou, propelling the advancement and development of the cruising industry in the country.”
The companies’ agreement will be rolled out in two phases. The first involves cross-promotion to corporate staff and affiliates of both parties, while the second will include a fully fledged marketing campaign to drive domestic and international travel across all sales channels.
Genting Cruise Lines and China Southern Airlines will officially launch its fly-cruise programme on 28 June, which will coincide with the monthly China Southern Member Day. Over a million China Southern Airlines members will enjoy exclusive onboard dining credits upon purchase of fly-cruise packages comprising of direct flights from more than 40 cities in China to Guangzhou, paired with the five-night cruises to Okinawa on Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream.
“This partnership on the promotion of fly-cruise will leverage on our extensive route network of Chinese and Asian destinations, as well as the strategic fleet deployments of Genting Cruise Lines to set an unprecedented quality of fly-cruise travel that allows seamless connections between the air and the sea, as well as driving the economic development of various port cities with massive market potential,” said Laijun Luo, director general of the Commercial Steering Committee at China Southern Airlines.
The Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality will support the new agreement, which will host the Guangzhou Cruise Tourism Culture Festival to showcase Guangzhou’s tourism offerings and promote the ‘Air + Cruise + Land’ travel concept in Southern China.