India's cruise industry is 'booming'

The cruise industry in India is booming, with holidaymakers from the Asian nation taking to the high seas in unusually high numbers.

Industry experts have attributed the decision of travel companies, such as Thomas Cook, Cox & Kings, Kuoni and Stic Travel Group, to decrease the price of their cruises by 15 to 30 per cent as a driving force behind the trend.

Thomas C Thottathil, spokesperson for Cox & Kings India, told Business Standard: "There has been an increase of 15 to 20 per cent in the number of bookings that we have made this year.

"The packages being offered are quite attractive, which has made cruise tourism affordable for a lot more people."

According to the business news portal, around 80,000 Indians go on cruises annually.

Those heading on a cruise break for the first time statistically tend to opt for Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

Subhash Goyal, chairman, of the Stic Travel Group, said: "Despite the slowdown, outbound cruise tourism is picking up in India. Cruise companies are also taking care of Indian customers by having Indian crew on board."

The chairman added that an increasing number of Indian holidaymakers are opting for international cruises, but like to keep their sea-faring adventures relatively short.

He explained that this preference ruled out long voyages to the US and European countries for most Indians.

Tourism bosses in India will be pleased to have earned a larger share of the market, as in 2007 Leena Nandan, joint secretary to the Indian tourism ministry, announced the country's intention to increase its dominance in the cruise sector.

At the World Travel Market, Ms Nandan revealed a target of attracting 100,000 cruise passengers annually by the end of 2010, reports Travel mole.

She explained that the Asian nation was well-positioned to formulate interesting tourism itineraries and noted that the growth of general tourism in India provided officials with a market to tap into.

Ms Nandan said: "Cruise operators are more than ever searching for new destinations and itineraries and India's reputation as an enchanting, exotic and historical destination lends itself ideally to becoming a major port of call."

The country planned to upgrade cruise facilities in Mumbai, Mormugao, Cochin and New Mangalore to facilitate the boom in the cruise industry, which officials are now starting to see.

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