Cruise Ahoy!

There was a time cruises were meant for the rich and the famous. It portrayed pure opulence and was too expensive to afford for mere mortals! Today, it is the fastest growing segment in the global tourism sector. The cruise market in India has to its credit more than 1,15,000 passengers sailing annually. So, it has clearly gone beyond aspirational factors.

A cruise has gone from being the perfect form of passage to a complete tour in itself. It takes you places in luxury, days filled with activity or with total relaxation, or both – it’s your choice. It’s hassle free, all-inclusive transporting you from one place to another, with the best chefs onboard and no need to pack and unpack at every new place, regardless of how many countries you visit.

Family travel is catching on… families travelling with children and grandchildren, aging parents, or groups of friends travelling together to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries is fast catching on. Cruise travel is becoming a growing source of experiential travel – see the world with a different perspective!

There was a question about cruise companies taking away the sustainability factor from tourism. The industry has realised its responsibility and is taking steps to ensure they sell land travel with thought and control the volume of visitors, ensuring environment protection by taking into account the well-being of people who live there. Docking of ships at destinations provides large employment, enhanced infrastructure and income for people of the region.

The good news for our industry is that tour operators and cruise agents make a good commission (as much as 20-30 per cent) on their sales, which has become a rare commodity these days. However, there is a lack of trained staff. Travel & tourism institutes need to incorporate cruises as a chapter in their syllabus, to ensure best benefits to both operators and cruise companies.