Dreamlines-Cruise1st Group has announced the appointment of Nishank Gopalkrishnan as Chief Executive Officer of the Dreamlines-Cruise1st Group.
Nishank brings a wealth of experience in running travel and technology businesses at a global scale. Most recently, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at TUI Musement, the tours & activities business of the TUI Group, the world’s largest tour operator. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Musement, MakeMyTrip, and ran the travel startup Triposo, which was later successfully acquired by TUI Musement.
Dreamlines-Cruise1st Group currently operates the Cruise1st and CruiseAway brands in the Australian market.
Maarten Esser, Chairman of the Advisory Board, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Nishank to the Dreamlines-Cruise1st Group. His strategic insight and drive for innovation make him exceptionally well-suited to guide us into the next phase of growth. Nishank’s diverse experience across OTAs, travel content, tour operators, and platform businesses will be instrumental in advancing our digital transformation and enhancing our customer experience across key markets in Europe and Australia.”
Nishank Gopalkrishnan said: “I’m thrilled to join the Dreamlines-Cruise1st Group. The cruise industry is experiencing strong tailwinds in terms of demand, and at Dreamlines we have an incredible opportunity to leverage AI in meaningful ways to elevate the customer experience and optimize our operating model. I look forward to working closely with the team to lead us into this exciting phase of growth.”
Founded in 2012, Dreamlines has raised over €125 million in multiple funding rounds backed by investors such as Dimaventures, HVCapital and Princeville Global. With the acquisitions of CruiseAway and Cruise1st, the Group has established a strong presence in key cruise markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Like many travel businesses, the cruise OTA sector faced a severe downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic but since then, the company has successfully rebuilt its business. It offers a wide range of cruise packages and cruise vacations bundled with unique experiences and multi-day excursions for its loyal customer base.
