Celebrating its 30th anniversary, AIDA Cruises has a very clear identity in the German-speaking market, according to Alexander Ewig, senior vice president of marketing and sales.
“We are more than a product. AIDA is a feeling,” Ewig explained to Cruise Industry News, “and many people recognize it the moment they see the smiling lips on the bow. That smile stands for friendliness, openness, curiosity and ease.”
He underscored how the onboard experience is relaxed and informal. It is built around meeting people, discovering places and enjoying time together. That is why AIDA connects generations so naturally, he said.
“When we say we are the love brand, we mean the emotional bond many guests have with AIDA. More than 17 million people have travelled with us over the past 30 years. Many discovered cruising with us for the first time. Others grew up with AIDA, celebrated milestones onboard, found their favorite spot on deck or met people who are still part of their lives today. Those stories are real and they are what makes AIDA more than a vacation.”
But a brand cannot live on memories alone, Ewig admitted.
“We have to keep earning our guests’ trust through warm service, attractive destinations, good value, reliability and our willingness to keep getting better,” he said.
“So, in our 30th anniversary year, we are not just looking back. We see this milestone as an invitation to look forward, to keep listening to our guests and crew, and to keep creating memorable moments that people carry with them long after they leave the ship.”
In 2025, the German ocean cruise market exceeded three million guests, and AIDA represented roughly half of that, according to Ewig.
“With multigenerational travel on the rise, AIDA works well because our product is flexible enough for different age groups, from children to grandparents,” he continued.
But more younger guests and first-time cruisers are discovering AIDA as well.
“Overall, the market is becoming broader, not narrower,” he said. “Cruising is no longer a niche for one demographic. It has become a mainstream vacation that speaks to many different lifestyles and motivations.”
“We have made cruising more relaxed and flexible and more accessible,” Ewig said.
“When AIDA entered the market in 1996, cruising in Germany was still associated with formality, dress codes and certain traditions liked fixed seating dinners. We changed all that and today we are the market leader in Germany and one of the country’s largest travel companies.
“The next chapter is broader,” he continued. “It is about the future of travel itself, about the guest experience, technology, sustainability, the role of destinations, life onboard and ashore, and the responsibility tourism carries in society.
“So, on the fleet side, we are investing in both newbuilds and existing ships.
“With AIDA Evolution, we have launched the largest modernization program in our company’s history, and for the next generation of ships planned for 2030 and beyond, we are developing a new platform that combines modern ship design with flexible deployment and multi-fuel technology prepared for future energy sources such as bio- and e-fuels.”
But the future is not only about technology, it is also about partnerships, according to Ewig.
“We need ports, destinations, policymakers, researchers, suppliers and the wider maritime industry to work together,” he said. “Tourism has a future if it creates real value locally, supports jobs, respects the places it visits and remains attractive for guests.
“For us, the next step is to continue doing what has always defined AIDA: questioning conventions, listening to guests and crew and making cruise holidays meaningful for the next generation.”
Excerpted from the Summer 2026 Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine.
