‘We Are A One-Stop-Cruise-Shop’

Although cruise companies have been in the country for nearly a decade, they are just beginning to make visible efforts to lure the Indian passenger. Nishith Saxena, head of Interglobe Cruises, in conversation with Jyoti Koul talks about the latest cruise trends in India.

What is your opinion on the Indian cruise market?

The restrictive approach in distribution of cruise products has resulted in limited growth for the western cruise brands in the country.

We feel that there is a large segment of the market that is still untapped and it can be accessed only through technology for large-scale distribution of cruise products. The cruise market in India is bound to develop at a faster pace in the next few years with new products and better distribution.

Interglobe represents many cruise brands in India. What is your marketing strategy?

We handle sales and marketing for seven cruise brands all belonging to the cruise company, Carnival Corporation. These brands include Princess Cruises (a contemporary North American brand), P&O Cruises (a classical British cruise line), Cunard, Ocean Village (an all-composite cruise brand), Seabourn (an all-suite ultra luxury cruise line), and Swan Hellenic (a brand providing educational cruises in ultimate luxury).

The latest addition to our portfolio is Pacific Sky, an Australian ship in the Asia region, which is a great option for families, honeymooners and corporate companies.

This broad range of cruises gives us an edge over others and we are promoting Interglobe as a 'one-stop-cruise-shop' to our trade partners, the industry and the end consumer.

How have you positioned the product as far as Indian passengers are concerned?

The seven-night roundtrip from Singapore on Pacific Sky, sailing every Saturday from February 25 to October 7 2006, will cost approximately US $100 per person per day.

The ship will offer special service to its Indians passengers in terms of meals and entertainment. It will even have Indian staff onboard. We are aiming at 100 per cent satisfaction for the Indian travellers and we hope that once they are exposed to a fantastic seven-night cruise so close to home, they would want to try western cruises as well.

What are the latest consumer trends in the cruise market?

We have observed that passengers who initially opted for a short, three to four-day cruise, are now looking at options of seven-day or longer cruises. This is because a longer cruise offers better value for money and a higher level of satisfaction.

Secondly, passengers have started booking top deck cabins with balconies and suites instead of lower categories and inside cabins. This only goes to show that Indian passengers are now more open to exploring new destinations and expect more comfort and luxury.