Cruising with celebrities
Monarch Cruise's offerings are themed around Bollywood and cricket. What's interesting is that agents too can partake in this. Somesh Jagga, CEO, Monarch Cruise, tells more.
QHow popular is cruising among Indians? Cruising is of course now being liked by Indians a lot and it's picking up fast, especially with the Bollywood movies influencing Indians and social media fuelling the demand. Indians are now going to Mediterranean, Alaska, and Asia is their alltime favourite.
QWhat is the USP of Monarch Cruise? Monarch is all about experiences. It gives one experiences they have never imagined before. What we have done is put together best of cricket, Bollywood, cruise and entertainment and sort of combined it with a luxury cruise ship.
QTell us about the new offerings at Monarch? Monarch is bringing a few celebrities together and the line-up will continue to swell. We have recently signed some cricketers who are from the playing XI of the current team. We have Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and K.L. Rahul among others, whose names will be revealed later. We have also signed up some Pakistani cricketers. From Bollywood, we have recently added singers Sukhwinder Singh and Wadali Brothers.
QDo you have any special offerings to engage the travel trade?
In our case, it goes beyond commission. Of course there is a commission structure in place, but our product is all about the experience. We take special care of our travel agents and PSAs and hold events where they can meet the celebrities we have onboard, which is something they cherish for life. We also give them exclusive signed merchandise and certificates that they can exhibit in their offices. Special lunch and dinner opportunities with celebrities are provided to high performing agents. Monarch is all about experience, not only for its customers, but for its travel agents as well.
QWhat kind of support do you expect from the government in the light of recent developments?
We have been very fortunate so far. We have both the ministries of Tourism and Shipping supporting us. We are now looking at deeper involvement from them; making the embarkation and disembarkation in India as soon as possible which in turn will help the cruising industry as a whole.