More Indians get on board cruise tourism

Indians are slowly warming up to cruise tourism, particularly in outbound circuits. Back home, the government is gearing up to boost both river and ocean cruise tourism. On an average, operators witness a 40 per cent growth rate when it comes to booking cruise holidays abroad.

According to Singapore Tourism Board, the popular cruise destination saw a 29 per cent increase in passengers from India at 100,000 last year.

Ratna Chadha, chief executive of Tirun Travel Marketing and India representative of Royal Caribbean Cruises, said cruise tourism was a cyclical business. “At present, share of cruise tourists in India’s overall tourism basket is negligible. But it is growing and the government, too, is keen to boost this sector. This year, we expect a 60 per cent growth rate over the previous year in passenger bookings from India.”

Chadha, a member of the government task force to promote cruise tourism, said Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, the Mediterranean and Caribbean are popular destinations among Indians. “The cost per person is $150-200 per night. This is comparable to what one would typically shell out for an overseas vacation on land,” she said.

Around 125,000 Indians had taken cruise trips in 2016, Chadha added.

Other operators, such as Thomas Cook India and Travkart, too, have experienced growth in demand.

News Source: www.business-standard.com