Priyanka Saxena Ray
With Indian travellers becoming more cruise-curious, which destinations and cruise experiences are currently in high demand from the Indian market?
Polar Cruises have caught the fancy of Indian travellers in a big way – so much so that these travellers are bookings almost 11 – 14 months in advance – this is the only way that would ensure that they could achieve their Bucket-List items when they want to and not wait for another year. In addition to Polar Cruises i.e. Antarctica and Arctic, there is a rising interest in Galapagos, Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland. We foresee that these destinations shall become extremely popular in the next 1-2 years.
Closer home, Japan is becoming increasingly sought after destination with cruise ships deployed for almost seven months. The itineraries range between 7-14 days and the ease of travelling in Japan, where deterrents like food, language and cost of land packages vanish when you are on a cruise. Princess Cruises has taken the lead in this region and is reaping the benefits with loads of Indian travellers booking cruises.
What are your expectations for the upcoming season, and how are you preparing to tap into the evolving Indian outbound cruise market?
We normally work way ahead of the curve – the business for the next 4-5 is already wrapped up. We’re now looking at the remaining inventory in Antarctica for 25-26 and 26-27 season. We have immense focus on Total Solar Eclipse in 2026 which shall be visible in Europe on August 12, 2026, primarily in parts of Russia, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain. Most of the cruise lines we represent, have deployed ships in the region to witness this unique phenomenon from the ocean. This would be probably one of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the year 2026 and many Indian travellers and their agents have shown interest in this. We expect our 2026 business to be a rich mix of experiential; phenomena lead and Hi-End luxury cruises. No doubt that the normal favourites – Alaska, Mediterranean, Norway, Australia etc. would continue to grow as always.
Are there any new itineraries, onboard experiences, or India-specific strategies your brand is introducing to better engage Indian travellers?
As always, our primary source of business remains our B2B agencies, who now fully recognise the value of including a cruise in every itinerary they create and sell. To support them, we’ve enhanced our online booking portal available through our website – www.cruiseprofessionals.in. This platform allows them to browse and book 24×7, offering real-time promotional pricing, availability, videos, and deck plans.
In a recently concluded webinar earlier this month, we showcased these tools to over 300 travel agencies. We’re already seeing a rise in bookings through the website and are confident this will soon become India’s most-used cruise booking tool for premium cruise lines. All eight of our represented brands – Aurora Expeditions, Crystal, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Hurtigruten Expeditions, Princess, P&O Cruises-UK, and Seabourn – are bookable via this portal.
Thanks to our growing social media presence and search engine marketing, we anticipate more organic growth, even from seasoned travellers booking directly. The lines between B2B and B2C are increasingly blurred in a web-based business environment. This shift also helps prevent bookings from slipping away to overseas wholesalers with online booking capabilities.
We see this digital enhancement as a progressive step towards reaching a larger audience with round-the-clock service. Indian international travellers may need cruise information anytime, anywhere—our website ensures we’re available instantly on their phones or laptops.
That said, we’re not moving all operations online. We continue to believe in a hybrid model, blending digital tools with personal support. Our Cruise Counsellors remain central to our business, offering personalised assistance and expert advice that our clients and trade partners’ trust.
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