Cruise liner company, Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd that sails Cordelia Cruises is soon set to launch its second cruise, said a top official. The company plans to add five cruises over the next five years. The cruise liner will soon add Chennai as a sailing location and plans on expanding to international sailing to Sri Lanka covering Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee, and Jaffna.
Speaking to BusinessLine, Jurgen Bailom, President & CEO, Cordelia Cruises said that the cruise liner has served 45,000 + passengers so far. Cordelia started in September 2021.
“I am extremely happy with the resilience that Cordelia has had despite Covid-19 pandemic. Taking into complete consideration of the government norms of only 50 per cent occupancy, our 50 per cent of the rooms have been full, during almost all our tours.”
Multiple packages
Cordelia has multiple packages including sailing destinations like Lakswadeep, Goa, and Kochi. It also has day packages, conferences, and weddings on cruise packages.
“Our 5 nights itineraries are the most popular with our travellers. The Lakshadweep route is the most preferred one. Lakshadweep is a magnet. Its inclusion amounts to approximately 40 per cent of our draw,” Bailoom said. He also added that weddings as a package were famous amongst the affluent Indians.
Cordelia has tied up with all leading travel agencies. Speaking to BusinessLine, a leading brick and mortar travel agency player, requesting anonymity said that it had seen a huge uptick in cruise bookings amounting to at least 20 per cent of its revenues.
Bailoom said that he was confident that India’s cruising industry the potential, and Indian travellers have the appetite.
New cruising location
In order to tap on to the appetite, “For 2022 our focus is the new location sailing to Sri Lanka covering Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee, and Jaffna, adding another ship, launching in Chennai, beginning from May 2022. We are soon adding our second ship. Over the next five years, we plan to add five new cruises.”
It is his goal, he said, to make cruising a go-to travel choice for Indian families, ensuring service that matches upto to International standards of cruising. “While we have been through a lot of ups and downs just within a few months of launching, we are sure to make waves in the travel industry considering the amount of interest we have received from travellers throughout the country.”
While Bailoom spoke about the potential in the cruising industry, he also said that there were a few challenges that needed to be addressed immediately. He said that Cordelia has received a positive response from Mumbai, Goa, Gujarat, and Kochi ports.
However, “Cruising is still at a nascent stage in India. While the government is working towards it, it needs hand holding, too. The passenger cruise terminals are yet to be developed in terms of experience and infrastructure.”