EasyCruise has agreed a new franchise deal in the Eastern Mediterranean, two weeks after the maiden voyage of EasyCruiseTwo in Holland.

The new franchise is with a Cyprus-based cruise operator Louis, and will operate in addition to existing EasyCruise destinations in the French and Italian Riverias, the Caribbean, as well as Holland and Belgium.

It means that by 2011, eight vessels could be operational under the EasyCruise brand, subject to agreement with Greek shipbuilder Neorion Holdings, which is set to build the new vessels.

EasyCruise chairman Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: “The EasyCruise concept is changing the perception of cruising. Our goal is to make cruising the holiday option for consumers looking for an alternative to a beach holiday or city break.”

Part of EasyGroup, the budget cruise company launched in 2005.

Its first franchise agreement was announced in April with a Dutch riverboat operator Boonstra River Line to run cruises between Amsterdam and Brussels.

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By Tom Vaughan

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