- The groundbreaking Edge class ship from Celebrity Cruises marked its Asian debut entering Mumbai. Capt. Matt Karandreas engaged in a plaque exchange ceremony with Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Authority.
- The strategy of Celebrity Edge is to get into the reach of more and more people, rather than being expensive. Preaches the idea of Edge class being a mindset, not a ship.
- “There is no cruise industry, it took us 30 years to come here, I hope it doesn’t take more 30 years to build a category of some consideration.” – Ratna Chadha, CEO, TIRUN
The groundbreaking Edge class ship from Celebrity Cruises, marked its Asian debut, entering into the vibrant city of Mumbai. To commemorate its maiden call in Mumbai, Celebrity Edge’s Captain Matt Karandreas engaged in a plaque exchange ceremony with Rajiv Jalota, Chairman of the Mumbai Port Authority. This symbolic gesture solidifies the ship’s ties with the bustling metropolis, marking the beginning of a memorable journey through the Asian seas.
Boasting 14 decks and a gross registered tonnage of 129,500, Celebrity Edge stands as the epitome of innovation in the world of cruise travel. With a capacity to accommodate 2,918 guests, this 1,004-foot-long marvel was meticulously designed to redefine the boundaries of luxury at sea.
Talking about the new Edge ship, Mrs. Ratna Chadha, CEO of TIRUN, mentions to T3, “We are happy to show off our premium ships at the forefront of the global audience. Our ships at Celebrity Cruises are elegantly designed, and they revolutionize the sensibilities of a traveler, not just as a holiday or vacation but with emotions. But showing off isn’t just enough, we have to homeport the ship, if not homeporting, we must have the ship turn around here on a regular basis. You can only talk about the segment or the share of the market, when you have the brand regularly positioned in your backyard.”
According to her, Indians are discerning travelers, and they don’t want old brands, or old-built structures. India has the money and the power to enjoy what international has to offer. “So, our principles, as service providers, recognize that you have to get the best and the largest for your clientele, and this is happening. So, we are going to see how the segment garners and what traction we get, but currently Celebrity is on a very high priority for the discerning travelers”, adds Mrs. Chadha.
Revealing the strategy, “So the strategy of Celebrity Edge is to get into the reach of more and more people, rather than being expensive. Our tagline used to be ‘modern luxury’ but now it is ‘relaxed luxury’. So, we are also communicating our channel partners and clients, to not think that Celebrity is out of reach. We have various categories to offer, unlike other cruise lines, we allow all to experience the facilities on-board alike, irrespective of whichever category they belong to. One can then decide which category one wants to travel in based on affordability, and that is what we are preaching. Celebrity is a mindset, the Edge class is not a ship, it’s a mindset.”
Expressing about the current scenario of cruise tourism in India, Mrs. Chadha mentions, “There is no cruise industry, it took us 30 years to come here, I hope it doesn’t take more 30 years to build a category of some consideration. We are at 0 base, considering that there are so many cruise lines that now are represented in the country. This is because the awareness levels and the category consideration are way below from where it should be, and we don’t have international brands applying on our waters regularly. We had challenges before, which are now somewhat resolved, but not fully.
We need to create a conducive atmosphere and an environment where we can seamlessly do business in, before we start scratching the tip of an iceberg. India has now come to realize that the cruise business is a business to reckon with. We need to build the category, the consideration, the infrastructure, and we need to get our policies in place. We have just come out with a cruise tourism policy during the G20 summit this year in May. All the elements must come together, the government is doing its bit, the private players are doing their bit, I think we all be able to overcome these challenges.
