The international cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2, which often travels through the Pacific region, has been sold and will become a luxury floating hotel in Dubai.
The ship's owners, Carnival, agreed on Sunday to sell the liner and take it out of service, it is due to visit Australia next February for the last time.
The new superliner, Queen Victoria, will replace the QE2.
The Australian tourism industry Internet Web site Travel Today reports the QE2 has been sold to the Dubai World's investment arm, Istithmar in a US$100 million deal.
Istithmar plans to recreate the QE2's original interior décor and fittings and to establish a museum charting the ship's history.
The QE2 entered the competitive cruise ship business in 1969, crossing the Atlantic Ocean more than 800 times, and has carried more than 2.5 million passengers.
