TravTalk India Online Magazine
One of the favourite ways for Indian visitors to explore the region, Lake Lucerne Navigation Company is preparing to welcome back Indians – not just FITs and couples but also bigger corporate groups for their MICE requirements.
TT Bureau
Meret Geissbuhler, Sales Manager International, Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, was in India recently to meet their close working partners and share updates with them. Her first stop was Mumbai, followed by Ahmedabad and Delhi. Speaking about the product, she says, “We operate cruises on Lake Lucerne, which is surrounded by many mountains and villages. This includes lunch cruises and dinner cruises and they connect mountain railways with the city of Lucerne, so there is a wide variety of products on offer. We work closely with Mt Titlis in India and Rayo Choksi from the company helps us connect with the market.”
Lake Lucerne Navigation Company is also doing online webinars in partnership with Switzerland Tourism and DDP Group. This, Geissbuhler says, is a great way to introduce their products to the travel trade in India. “Indian visitors really like our modern boats. We have a fleet of 19 different boats – catamaran, panoramic yacht. Also, it’s a great way to explore the region of Lucerne in a relaxed way as it doesn’t require too much walking. It also doesn’t take much time – about an hour-long cruise gives a great view of the area. It is perfect for families with kids and couples, honeymooners, etc. specially our sunset cruises. But we also get a lot of group travellers including corporates because it is not a very expensive activity,” she says.
MICE a focus
Lake Lucerne Navigation Company has also started receiving requests for chartering from corporates. “Our boats are pretty big – for 50 pax or more for a private charter – so its better to book it for a larger group. We have organised Indian catering also for big Indian groups in the past as we work with caterers that can provide Indian meals. But this needs to be booked at least two months in advance. Alternately, our European cuisine that we offer onboard also has a lot of vegetarian options that we can provide to clients. We can also arrange for live DJs, parties, musical entertainment, and traditional Swiss music on private charter cruises for corporates,” Geissbuhler adds.
While Lake Lucerne Navigation Company has started receiving Indian visitors, its still not on the same level as pre-COVID. “But we can see traffic coming back. We missed the main season of Indian travellers during April and May. The visa situation, that we hear from the trade, also didn’t help. High airfares also added to the problem. But I can see many requests and inquiries coming in for the Autumn season which is not the main season for Indian market. And this makes us very positive,” she shares.
It’s tough to calculate accurate numbers specially for FIT products since this product is also included in the Swiss Travel Pass which is very popular with Indian visitors. “But India was one of our main markets before the pandemic and we are positive it will regain its spot soon. We get requests for excursions in combination with the cruises for mountains such as Mount Pilatus where you can take the cruise to the station at the base of the mountain to access it by the cogwheel. We work very closely with the mountains such as Mount Pilatus and Mount Titlis and Mount Rigi. Agents can book our tickets on our website which is very easy to use,” she says.
Sharing updates about new products, she says, “During the pandemic, our one-hour Saphir Lake Lucerne cruise with audio guide was also provided in Hindi and it was one of the favourite cruises with our Indian visitors.”
