Alaska remains a ‘favourite’ for Indian Cruise travellers: Singh

Alaska is popular cruise destination with itineraries such as a 10-day round trip that sails from Seattle featuring stunning stops at the Hubbard Glacier and Juneau aboard the Norwegian Joy. For NCL, Mumbai and Delhi are their primary source markets followed by  Gujarat, Punjab and Bangalore.

In an interview with TDM, Manoj Singh, Country Head India, NCL shares about the fly-cruise market, easy booking tools for the travel trade such Book-A-BDM platform and NCL Connect and more…

Travel Daily Media (TDM): What cruise offerings does NCL have for the Indian market? Which is the most popular tourism product / itineraries that you offer?

Manoj Singh (MS): Indian travellers are extensively travelling around the world now as they seek meaningful experiences and experiential travel. Our fleet of soon to be 20 ships sail to some of the world’s most exotic and exciting destinations offering a variety of itineraries for every kind of traveller. 

Among our Indian guests, particularly, our popular itineraries include cruises to Alaska, Europe, Bermuda and Asia.

Alaska remains a favourite such as a 10-day round trip that sails from Seattle featuring stunning stops at the Hubbard Glacier and Juneau aboard the Norwegian Joy.

In Europe we have a choice of 11 different ships and 14 departure ports. Indian travellers love the Mediterranean and in particular Greece, such as the 12-day Greek Isles cruise aboard the Norwegian Sky that departs from Istanbul and explores destinations like Santorini and Athens.

Our Asia itineraries across 4 different ships depart from eight different departure ports and options include the 14-day voyage aboard the Norwegian Sky from Singapore to Doha with highlights like Bangkok and Mumbai or a journey from Singapore to Taiwan for 18 days on the Norwegian Sun, which includes stops in Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City. 

To book their cruises with NCL, Indian travellers can connect with our partner travel agents in their regions, who will assist them with reservations and visa requirements, ensuring a seamless journey from start to finish. 

For Indians looking to book their cruises in 2025, we have a range of exciting itineraries, featuring immersive experiences and maiden calls at distinctive destinations. These include extended European voyages with stops in iconic cities such as Barcelona, Athens, and Venice. Several itineraries have been designed with longer port stays such as voyages to and from Barcelona, Spain and Rome, Italy with port calls in Venice/Monaco, Marseille, France, Messina, and Salerno. These voyages offer 10–17 hours in port enabling travellers to engage more deeply with local cultures while enjoying the exceptional comfort and hospitality of our ships. 

TDM: Where do you get your maximum bookings from? How aware is the Indian travel trade as far a selling cruise holidays is concerned? What offers do you have for your travel trade partners? 

MS: For NCL, Mumbai and Delhi are our primary markets, with a significant number of inquiries coming in. Following these, Gujarat, Punjab and Bangalore are also vital markets contributing to our growth Our trusted travel trade partners across India are doing a fabulous job closing the loop and ensuring that each enquiry is addressed as per the satisfaction of the traveller. We provide innovative tools and resources to help our partners increase their selling potential, such as the Book-A-BDM platform, which allows seamless communication with our regional Business Development Managers (BDMs) through various channels. We also announced the debut of NCL Connect, which is a co-branding marketing solution for travel advisors. It offers a co-branded website featuring NCL sailings including 800+ marketing assets, including videos and flyers, and enables personalised content sharing across social media, email, and more to drive leads directly to advisors. 

Additionally, our Norwegian Central Asia platform serves as a comprehensive knowledge hub, keeping our partners updated on the latest trends and developments, while also offering access to NCL University (NCLU), our award- winning travel agent training program.

TDM: Kindly share with us the kind of cruise tourism statistics that India is experiencing? What has the growth/decline been YOY? In terms of numbers, what is the divide between international and domestic tourists? 

MS: The fly-cruise market that allows travellers to fly to international ports to embark on the cruise of their dreams, is growing, reflecting an increasing interest in global cruising experiences among Indian travellers.  

TDM: How has NCL done globally as well as in India for 2024? What are your targets and expectations for 2025? 

MS: We have registered strong growth in 2024, driven by the rising interest in experiential travel and cruise tourism. Guests are increasingly drawn to our curated itineraries, which include extended port stays and newly introduced routes to popular destinations like Lisbon, Reykjavik, and Istanbul. These itineraries are designed to offer a more immersive travel experience, allowing guests to spend more time exploring and soaking in local cultures and cuisines.

Looking ahead to 2025, we aim to offer travellers MORE – more embarkation options, more tailored experiences, and more opportunities to explore the world. With over 55 embarkation ports worldwide nearly 20 ships sailing across six continents, an array of accommodations, and a variety of bars, lounges, restaurants, and entertainment, we are enabling guests to embark on the cruise vacation of their dreams.

We are also introducing innovative onboard features, including the much-anticipated debut of Norwegian Aqua, and expanding our fly-cruise options to meet the growing demand for seamless travel to iconic global destinations. We’re seeing a shift in travellers’ preferences, with more people prioritising experiences and the value of their time. Whether it’s multi-generational families seeking quality time together, couples splurging on spacious accommodations, or solo travellers exploring the world independently, we’re focused on providing options that cater to every type of traveller. 

TDM: You have been in the cruise marketing industry for long. What is the most enjoyable part of your job? Why would you recommend someone to join the cruise industry? 

MS: The best part, I think, is the joy I feel when I see how happy people are when they disembark from our ships after returning from the cruise of their dreams! It feels great to know that in some way, NCL is a part of the cherished memories of our guests and their loved ones as they travel to exotic destinations around the world, pampered with our hospitality and service!

The cruise industry is a great place for professionals who love a vibrant, fast-paced work life. Collaborative, creative people who have great-people skills, good business acumen and who love to create unforgettable experiences for guests, will enjoy working in the sector.