Alaska is a popular cruise destination with 10-day round trips that depart from Seattle that include stunning stops at Hubbard Glacier and Juneau aboard the Norwegian Joy ship. For NCL, Mumbai and Delhi follow as their primary source markets Gujarat, Punjab and Bangalore.
In an interview with TDM, Manoj Singh, Country Head India, Ncl Share about Fly-Cruise Market, easy booking tools for travel trade like Book-a-BDM platform and NCL Connect and many more…
Travel Daily Media (TDM): What cruise offerings does NCL have for the Indian market? What are the most popular tourism products/itineraries that you offer?
Manoj Singh (MS): Indian travelers are now traveling extensively across the globe as they seek meaningful experiences and experiential travel. Our fleet will soon have 20 ships sailing to some of the world's most exotic and exciting destinations offering a variety of itineraries for every type of traveler.
Among our Indian guests, in particular, our popular itineraries include cruises to Alaska, Europe, Bermuda and Asia.
Alaska remains a favorite, as does a 10-day round trip that departs from Seattle that includes stunning stops at Hubbard Glacier and Juneau, atop the Norwegian conquest.
In Europe we have a choice of 11 different ships and 14 departure ports. Indian travelers love the Mediterranean and Greece in particular, like the Norwegian Sky 12-day Greek Isles cruise that departs from Istanbul and explores destinations like Santorini and Athens.
Our Asia itineraries across 4 different ships include sailings from eight different departure ports and options include a 14-day cruise from Singapore to Doha on Norwegian Sky, with highlights such as Bangkok and Mumbai, or an 18-day Singapore to Taiwan cruise on Norwegian Sun, including There are stops in Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City.
To book their cruise with NCL, Indian travelers can connect with our partner travel agents in their region, 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 number of exciting itineraries, featuring immersive experiences and first calls to exclusive destinations. These include extended European voyages with stops in iconic cities such as Barcelona, Athens and Venice. quite a few Itineraries are designed to accommodate longer port calls such as sailings from Barcelona, Spain and Rome, Italy to Venice/Monaco, Marseille, France, Messina and Salerno with port calls. These voyages offer 10-17 hours in port, enabling travelers to engage more deeply with the local culture while enjoying the exceptional comfort and hospitality of our ships.
TDM: Where do you get your highest bookings from? How aware is the Indian travel trade about a sale cruise vacation? What do you have to offer for travel trade partners?
MS: For NCL, Mumbai and Delhi are our primary markets, where a significant number of inquiries are coming. Following these, Gujarat, Punjab and Bangalore are also important markets contributing to our growth which our trusted travel trade partners across India are doing a great job looping and ensuring that every inquiry is resolved to the satisfaction of the traveller. We provide our partners with innovative tools and resources to help them increase their sales 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, a co-branding marketing solution for travel advisors. It offers a co-branded website featuring NCL Selling with 800+ marketing assets including videos and flyers and enables personalized content sharing across social media, email and more to drive directly to advisors.
In addition, our Norwegian Central Asia platform acts as a comprehensive knowledge hub, keeping our partners updated on the latest trends and developments, as well as providing access to NCL University (NCLU), our prize. Winning Travel Agent Training Program.
TDM: Please share with us the kind of cruise tourism statistics that India is experiencing? What has been the YOY growth/decline? In terms of numbers, what is the divide between international and domestic tourists?
MS: The fly-cruise market, which allows travelers to fly to international ports to embark on the cruise of their dreams, is growing, reflecting the growing interest among Indian travelers in global cruise experiences.
TDM: How has NCL fared globally as well as in India for 2024? What are your goals and expectations for 2025?
MS: We have registered strong growth in 2024, driven by growing interest in experiential travel and cruise tourism. Guests are increasingly drawn to our curated itineraries, which include extended port stays and newly launched routes to popular destinations such as Lisbon, Reykjavik and Istanbul. These itineraries are designed to offer a more immersive travel experience, so guests can spend more time exploring and soaking in the local culture and cuisine.
Looking ahead to 2025, we aim to offer travellers More – More travel options, more tailored experiences, and more opportunities to explore the world. With nearly 20 ships operating across six continents with more than 55 embarkation ports worldwide, with accommodations and a variety of bars, lounges, restaurants and entertainment, we enable 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 renowned world destinations. We're seeing a shift in traveler preferences, with more people prioritizing experience and value for their time. Whether multi-generational families seek quality time together, couples unwind in spacious accommodations, or solo travelers explore the world independently, we're focused on providing options that cater to every type of traveler.
TDM: You have been in the cruise marketing industry for a long time. What is the most enjoyable part of your job? Why would you recommend anyone join the cruise industry?
MS: The best part, I think, is when I see how happy people are when they get off our ship after returning from their dream cruise! It's great to know that NCL is a part of the cherished memories of our guests and their loved ones when they travel to exotic destinations around the world for our hospitality and service!
Cruises are a great place for industry professionals who love a vibrant, fast-paced work life. Collaborative, creative individuals with great people skills, good business acumen and who love to create unforgettable experiences for guests, will enjoy working in this sector.