Shreya Shimpi
How has the past year shaped the cruise business in India, and what key shifts have you observed in traveller preferences or booking patterns?
Last year, the cruise industry saw a steady growth of 7-10% in the Indian market. Domestic cruises have witnessed a notable surge in the MICE movement. Asia continues to remain a predominantly last-minute booking market. However, Alaska and Europe see more of early bookings since the prices are better and the visas need to be planned way ahead of the travel date.
With Indian travellers becoming more cruise-curious, which destinations and cruise experiences are currently in high demand from the Indian market?
Indian customers are more cruise-curious today and are proactive in doing their own research thoroughly before booking a cruise and selecting their cruise experiences. They are looking for exotic destinations and state-of-the-art ships. Thus the ‘hardware’ is as important as the itinerary. We have seen a rise in demand for the Iceland / Greenland itinerary reflecting a growth in the need for experiential and offbeat travel. Alaska remains an all-time favourite but owing to the visa delays for US and Canada, we saw a lower demand for these itineraries.
What are your expectations for the upcoming season, and how are you preparing to tap into the evolving Indian outbound cruise market?
We are enthusiastic about the upcoming season. The industry is excited about the much-awaited Disney Cruise deployment in Singapore from December 2025 and so are we! Disney Cruises has created a big buzz with its B2B marketing and B2C visibility generating great interest in the travel industry as well as the customers. A lot of enquiries are coming in for the same.
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