Years of effort in terms of educating the travel trade and customers about the advantages and ease of cruise travel have begun to bear fruit of recent. With the cruise industry notching steady year-on-year growth from the Indian market, 2015 looks promising for the industry.
The year that was
The year 2014 was a positive one for the cruise sector, with sales rising, vessels docking at Indian ports. Even 2015 has started on a good note. MSC Cruises had its ship – MSC Orchestra touching Indian Waters (Mumbai & Kochi) in February. According to Kunal Sampat, General Manager, MSC Cruises, the company saw a fair growth in 2014, aided by the webinar conducted in association with T3 and the support of it’s trade partners.
Royal Caribbean Cruises recorded tremendous growth to the tune of 16-17 per cent in the Indian market in 2014, said Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, Tirun Travel Marketing, exclusive India Representative of Royal Caribbean Cruises. She stated that there was a palpable increase in the propensity of travellers to explore cruise vacations as an all-inclusive, well-itinerated and extremely indulgent holiday. The company also entered into key partnerships with major brands across domains in 2014 which has helped strengthen it’s market position.
Speaking about cruising as a sector, Kiran Bhandari, Co-founder, Cruise Club said that 2014 was an exceptional year for the industry. Cruise Club now represents more than 20 cruise companies from around the world in India. Growth, he added, has been in double digits year- on-year, and he anticipates this to continue in the coming years as the cruise market from India continues to evolve.
Sampat stated that, while there is no tool to measure the exact growth of the cruise industry, speaking to industry veterans, cruise experts and trade partners, reflects that the sector has seen an average growth of 10 to 15 per cent from India.
“We have witnessed a rise in queries as well as conversions for cruise holidays. As time progresses and more and more Indian travellers get exposed to the plethora of wonderful experiences that cruise holidays offer, the concept of cruise vacations will continue to steadily garner more momentum. In 2015, we also plan to grow the Indian cruise market by increasing visibility and reaching out to more vacationers in the tier-II cities and tertiary markets,” informed Chadha.
Creating waves
The cruise market in India has developed significantly over the years, and not just in terms of numbers, but also customer segments and demands. According to Bhandari, Indian cruisers are now taking longer, more adventurous and more luxurious cruise options. Also, booking windows have started getting longer, and people are now bookings cruises six months to a year in advance as well.
Sampat spoke of a trend in the taste of the Indian passenger. He stated that the Indian passenger is no longer looking to visit traditional destinations and indulge in traditional activities. They are now keen to explore new places and experiences. “With these changes and passengers becoming more evolved, cruise vacation is becoming more popular amongst Indians. Also, it was earlier a myth that cruising was for the affluent. Because today, every ship of MSC is no less than a 7-star hotel or a moving city, with speciality restaurants, discotheques and casinos. Just looking at it, any lay man would feel it is expensive. Contradictory to that, it is not, and travellers are beginning to understand that,” he added.
Citing an example, he said that the recent cruise from Mumbai and Kochi to Singapore saw 80 per cent first time cruisers, of which 90 per cent were from middle class families. “Globally on MSC we see 40-45 per cent repeat passengers. India will take time, but it does already have a small section of repeat passengers as well,” Sampat revealed.
The year ahead
Needless to say, the cruise industry is looking forward to 2015. According to Kunal, 2015 is the year to watch out for, having started on a positive note with strong growth expectations.
TIRUN Travel Marketing will be running extensive TV campaigns for both brands Royal Caribbean International, as well as Celebrity Cruises. In June 2015, Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to visit Kochi on her way to Singapore and China, and they plan to invite select travel partners for a ship visit.
