Thomson Cruises is introducing Marmaris

Holidays in Turkey have grown in popularity with the Great British public over the past few years, thanks to the beautiful sunny weather, bright blue seas and fascinating culture combined with the fact that it lies outside of the Euro zone. As a direct response to this rise in customer demand, Summer 2010 will see Thomson Cruises base one of its ships in the beautiful port of Marmaris, offering new itineraries and a great selection of cruise and stay holidays.

From May 2010, the 1,250 passenger ship will be based in the Turkish port, where the Aegean and Mediterranean seas come together. Situated in the Southwest of the country, Marmaris port is surrounded by a traditional old Turkish town complete with a castle and pine clad hills.

As a gateway, Marmaris is the perfect choice. Its close proximity to Dalaman airport means cruise passengers can travel easily on Thomson Airways from a wide selection of UK airports, and then just a short transfer to the ship means an exciting cruise holiday can start sooner and easier.

Itineraries for 2010 cruises include the Ottoman Treasures, where Thomson Celebration will sail towards Istanbul, Kusadasi and Santorini, then to Bodrum, Mykonos and Piraeus (for Athens).

The Highlights of the Aegean sees the ship take in the best of the Turkish ports before sailing on to Pireaeus (for Athens) and Aghios Nikolaos in Crete.

For a varied choice of destinations, customers can take advantage of the prime positioning of the ship by taking the Egypt and the Holy Land cruise.

This is an exciting adventure into some of the most historical destinations in the world, like Alexandria in Egypt  home of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great – and Ashdod in Israel, where passengers can take excursions to Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

The new port not only opens a whole new choice of itineraries for Thomson cruise passengers, but also a great choice of hotels for those prolonged cruise and stay holidays.

The strong Thomson presence in Dalaman also offers customers a wide selection of hotels for their ‘cruise and stay’ holidays.

The Club Letoonia in Fethiye is a 4T, all-inclusive hotel with a stunning bay location, friendly atmosphere and great price, make it a perfect additional week to a cruise holiday.

For more information or to book a Thomson cruise visit http://www.thomson.co.uk/cruise or call 0870 55

Press Release