Kuoni Cruises
Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss cruise travel agency founded in 1976, operating within DERTOUR/REWE Group, distributing ocean, river, and expedition cruises from 40+ cruise line partners through 70+ Swiss branches and an online booking platform for Swiss leisure consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kuoni Cruises does
Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss leisure travel agency specializing exclusively in cruise holidays, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Zürich. It operates as a brand within the DERTOUR GROUP, which is itself part of the REWE Group, one of Central Europe's largest tourism and retail conglomerates. The company functions as a cruise aggregator and reseller rather than a cruise operator, distributing bookings across more than 40 ocean cruise lines (including Hapag-Lloyd, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC, and others) and more than 10 river cruise operators (including A-ROSA, Amadeus, Phoenix, and Viva Cruises). Its core product set spans ocean cruises, river cruises, and expedition cruises (polar regions, Arctic, Antarctica), with add-on modules for escorted group cruises with Kuoni tour leadership, flight-and-cruise packages, houseboat rentals, and sailing yacht charters.
The business is built around a sales-led, multi-channel go-to-market model. Distribution combines over 70 physical retail branches across Switzerland with phone consultation, email, video consultation, and an online booking platform at buchen.kuoni-cruises.ch that supports search by destination, duration, cruise line, and travel date. Revenue is generated through commissions on each booked transaction with cruise line partners, with sample prices ranging from CHF 769 per person for a 6-9 day Caribbean cruise to over CHF 4,364 per person for an Arctic/Arctic expedition cruise. The company advertises a tagesaktuelle Best-Preise (daily best-price guarantee) and offers financial security through Schweizer Reisegarantiefonds (Swiss Travel Guarantee Fund) membership. Marketing is conducted through the corporate website, events and travel shows, printed catalogs, newsletter campaigns, and expert travel reports. The customer base is entirely B2C Swiss leisure travelers, segmented horizontally across cruise types and destinations.
Kuoni Cruises firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kuoni Cruises
- Legal name
- Kuoni Cruises
- Website
- https://kuoni-cruises.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss cruise travel agency founded in 1976, operating within DERTOUR/REWE Group, distributing ocean, river, and expedition cruises from 40+ cruise line partners through 70+ Swiss branches and an online booking platform for Swiss leisure consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kuoni Cruises industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cruise Travel Agency Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ocean Cruise Specialists (Mainstream/Contemporary) (THAKAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.) (THAEACAL), Private Cruise Ship Charters (Full-Vessel) (THAEAEAC)
Keywords
Where Kuoni Cruises is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kuoni Cruises business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Travel Agency Commission: As a Swiss travel agency specializing in cruises, Kuoni Cruises earns commissions from cruise line partners (over 40+ cruise lines) for bookings made by customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cruise packages with tagesaktuelle Best-Preise (daily best prices) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kuoni Cruises product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss travel agency specializing in cruise holidays, acting as a booking platform and reseller for over 40 ocean cruise lines and 10+ river cruise operators. The company books ocean cruises, expedition cruises, river cruises, escorted group cruises with Kuoni tour leadership, flight and cruise packages, sailing yacht charters, and houseboat holidays for Swiss consumers, supported by expert consultation across 70+ branches, phone, video, and online channels.
Product overview
Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss cruise travel specialist operating as a booking platform and travel agency. The core offering consists of ocean cruises and river cruises sourced from partnered cruise lines (including Hapag-Lloyd, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, TUI Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and 40+ others). The company layers service modules on top of the base cruise bookings: escorted group cruises with Kuoni leadership, flight & cruise package combinations with coordinated air travel, and personalized consultation services through branches and video calls. Additional niche products include expedition cruises to polar regions, houseboat holidays, and sailing yacht charters. The company functions as an aggregator/reseller rather than a cruise operator, providing pricing, search, and booking capabilities alongside expert consultation. The product portfolio spans multiple cruise types and travel styles to serve diverse customer preferences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ocean Cruises
Companies that use Kuoni Cruises
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kuoni Cruises technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kuoni Cruises partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
34 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.
- Hapag-Lloyd CruisescorePremium cruise line partner offering luxury ocean voyages. Featured as a key partner in the cruise line portfolio with dedicated landing page.
- Silversea CruisescoreLuxury expedition and ocean cruise line partner offering ultra-luxury voyages to worldwide destinations.
- Seabourn Cruise LinecoreUltra-luxury cruise line partner featured in the cruise line portfolio.
- Oceania CruisescorePremium cruise line partner known for culinary-focused voyages and destination immersion.
- TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff)coreGerman cruise line partner featuring contemporary ships with premium amenities.
- Norwegian Cruise LinecoreMajor cruise line partner known for freestyle cruising and innovative ship experiences.
- Costa KreuzfahrtenmajorItalian cruise line partner offering Mediterranean and worldwide itineraries with European flair.
- Cunard LinemajorBritish luxury cruise line partner known for iconic ocean liners and transatlantic crossings.
- PonantcoreFrench luxury expedition cruise line partner specializing in polar regions and unique destinations.
- Explora JourneyscoreLuxury lifestyle cruise brand from MSC Group offering contemporary ocean voyages.
- Celebrity CruisescorePremium cruise line partner known for modern ships and immersive destination experiences.
- Aurora ExpeditionsmajorAustralian expedition cruise partner specializing in polar and remote destinations.
- MSC CruisesmajorMajor Mediterranean cruise line partner with global itinerary coverage.
- AIDA CruisesmajorGerman cruise line partner known for casual cruising style with modern ships.
- Princess CruisesmajorPremium cruise line partner known for destination immersion and global voyages.
- Royal Caribbean InternationalmajorMajor cruise line partner known for innovative ships and worldwide itineraries.
- Regent Seven SeascoreUltra-luxury cruise line partner offering all-inclusive voyages.
- AzamaramajorPremium cruise line partner focused on destination immersion with longer port stays.
- Carnival Cruise LinemajorFun-focused cruise line partner offering diverse entertainment and itineraries.
- Disney KreuzfahrtenmajorFamily-focused cruise line partner featuring Disney-themed experiences.
- Holland America LinemajorPremium cruise line partner known for classic ocean cruising and Alaska expertise.
- Phoenix HochseemajorGerman cruise line partner offering traditional ocean voyages.
- nicko cruisesmajorGerman river and ocean cruise operator partner.
- Oceanwide ExpeditionsmajorDutch expedition cruise partner specializing in polar regions.
- Quark ExpeditionsmajorSpecialized expedition cruise partner focused on polar adventures.
- Scenic Luxury Cruises & ToursmajorLuxury river and ocean cruise partner offering all-inclusive experiences.
- HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions)coreNorwegian expedition cruise partner specializing in sustainable polar and expedition voyages.
- A-ROSA FlusskreuzfahrtenmajorGerman river cruise partner specializing in European waterways.
- Amadeus FlusskreuzfahrtenmajorPremium river cruise partner known for European river voyages.
- Emerald River CruisesmajorContemporary river cruise partner offering European and exotic river itineraries.
- Phoenix FlusskreuzfahrtenmajorGerman river cruise partner offering traditional European river voyages.
- Plantours FlusskreuzfahrtenmajorGerman river cruise partner offering traditional river cruise experiences.
- Viva CruisesmajorContemporary river cruise partner offering European river voyages.
- DERTOUR GROUP / REWE GroupflagshipParent company affiliation. Kuoni Cruises is part of the DERTOUR GROUP, which belongs to the REWE Group, one of the largest Central European companies in the tourism industry.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Kuoni Cruises competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- ITS Coop Travel: Swiss retail travel agency chain with packaged cruise offerings. Comparable in Swiss retail-led distribution and multi-channel booking, though broader than cruise-only.
Emerging players
- Travelzoo: Travel deals publisher that runs dedicated cruise verticals with negotiated fares on behalf of members. Comparable in intermediating cruise bookings via expert curation and promotional pricing.
Broad incumbents
- Expedia Group: Global OTA with cruise offerings on Expedia Cruises. Comparable in aggregating multi-line cruise inventory online, representing the digital-native competitive threat that Kuoni Cruises' retail model must defend against.
- TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff): TUI is both a major cruise operator and a partner of Kuoni Cruises. As a vertically integrated tour operator with its own cruise line, in-house retail, and strong DACH presence, TUI is a comparable channel-and-supply competitor in the Swiss/German cruise market.
- DERTOUR: Parent organization of Kuoni Cruises and a major European tour operator with packaged cruise offerings. Comparable business model and access to the same DERTOUR Group/REWE Group supply chain, with a broader product portfolio across tour operations.
Direct peers
- Hotelplan Group: Swiss-headquartered tour operator and travel agency group with multi-channel retail distribution and packaged cruise offerings. Comparable in operating model (Swiss multi-channel travel agency with cruise as a core vertical) and customer base, making it a direct domestic peer.
- CruiseDirect: US-based cruise-specialist online agency with multi-line inventory. Comparable as a cruise-only intermediary with commission-based economics, though operating in a different geography.
- Mytravel.ch / Hotelplan Suisse: Swiss consumer-facing travel brand offering packaged cruises alongside broader holidays. Comparable in targeting Swiss leisure travelers with cruise as a core category within a multi-product portfolio.
- Dreamlines: Specialist European online cruise agency operating in German-speaking markets (DE, CH, AT). Comparable in being a cruise-only intermediary with multi-line inventory and digital booking, serving overlapping Swiss DACH consumers.
- Cruise Compass / e-hoi: German-based cruise-specialist agency and OTA with strong DACH online presence. Closely comparable digital-first cruise intermediary model, competing for the same Swiss-German cruise customer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kuoni Cruises financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kuoni Cruises leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kuoni Cruises funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kuoni Cruises M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kuoni Cruises
What does Kuoni Cruises do?
Kuoni Cruises is a Swiss travel agency specializing in cruise holidays, acting as a booking platform and reseller for over 40 ocean cruise lines and 10+ river cruise operators. The company books ocean cruises, expedition cruises, river cruises, escorted group cruises with Kuoni tour leadership, flight and cruise packages, sailing yacht charters, and houseboat holidays for Swiss consumers, supported by expert consultation across 70+ branches, phone, video, and online channels.
Is Kuoni Cruises a public or private company?
Kuoni Cruises is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Kuoni Cruises founded?
Kuoni Cruises was founded in 1976. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kuoni Cruises based?
Kuoni Cruises is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Kuoni Cruises make money?
One revenue line is on record: travel Agency Commission.
Who are Kuoni Cruises's main competitors?
ITS Coop Travel is listed as a regional player. Travelzoo is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Expedia Group, TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff) and DERTOUR. Direct peers are Hotelplan Group, CruiseDirect, Mytravel.ch / Hotelplan Suisse, Dreamlines and Cruise Compass / e-hoi.
Does Kuoni Cruises have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kuoni Cruises.
What industry is Kuoni Cruises in?
Kuoni Cruises's product category is Cruise Travel Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAKAG, Ocean Cruise Specialists (Mainstream/Contemporary), with a secondary code of THAEACAL, Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.). Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 4400.