Carnival Corp. confirmed that
it is in continuous talks with TUI AG, Europes largest travel
company, but would not specify the nature of those talks.
Carnival said that
reports in the German media suggesting the discussions involved
exclusive distribution of any of Carnivals cruise products are
wrong.
In a statement,
Carnival said that AIDA, its German cruise brand, is completely
satisfied with its present distribution model
German newspaper
Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported today that Carnival was in talks with
Hanover, Germany-based TUI about marketing its AIDA brand to
Europeans, citing unspecified sources.
TUI serves about 18
million customers and operates over 3,500 travel
agencies.
Carnival said it would
make an announcement if current talks lead to any future agreement
with TUI.
To contact reporter Johanna
Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].