TravTalk India Online Magazine
Waterways Leisure Tourism, that promotes Indian cruise liner Cordelia Cruises, is confident to provide a safe cruise vacation to its guests. It has successfully completed 20 sailings with approximately 20,000 guests till date, and is ready to embark on many more with new destinations in the offing.
Hazel Jain
Giving India its very own cruise brand, Waterways Leisure Tourism has been aggressively promoting Cordelia Cruises in the market. Speaking about the success they have seen so far, Jurgen Bailom, CEO and President, Waterways Leisure Tourism, says, “Indians were far from familiar with cruising especially locally. The thick of the pandemic was itself a significantly daunting time. I am overjoyed and humbled in equal measure with the response we have received since our launch. Families come in large numbers, wedding and important events are being hosted on board and guests are making memories of a lifetime through the stellar food, entertainment and destination experiences being offered by Cordelia Cruises. Christmas is coming and so is New Year’s Eve and guests are truly looking forward to the grand entertainment we have created for them. This response is pushing us to do even better every day and offer so much more. Cordelia Cruises has put India on the global cruising map. This is just the beginning.”
Vijay Kesavan, Director – Sales & Marketing, Cordelia Cruises, shares details of the sailings. He says, “Cordelia Cruises launched in September 2021. The response we have received is not only encouraging but also overwhelming. The sailings have been to Goa, Kochi, Diu and Lakshadweep.
We have successfully completed 20 sailings with approximately 20k+ guests till date and counting. Our Lakshadweep package, in particular, has received a lot of interest. Since our launch, the response we have received from all our customers (B2B and B2C) is not only encouraging but also overwhelming. It is, in fact, twice as much as we anticipated. Domestic travel is being sought after like never before. Indians are exploring vacation opportunities that are different and haven’t been experienced by them earlier on. We can then safely state that we are at the right place at the right time. Enquiries and bookings for group holidays as well as weddings are pouring in for us.”
Entertainment on the ship is curated in a way to cater all sorts of age groups on board. It also has DJ nights, live concerts and movie nights are planned on the cruise. Guests can also enjoy the rock climbing amidst the beauty of the majestic ocean or relax at the pool and jacuzzi. And for those who want to try their luck and earn some money, the casino is the place to visit.
Speaking about the strong team behind this, Kesavan adds, “We are indeed blessed with a truly hardworking, positive and talented set of individuals who form a part of our workforce at Cordelia. The people who represent the company and are the face of it are very integral to the company’s growth and success. The consumers perceive us through these faces and we are glad to have people who think of Cordelia as their own. Each and everyone associated with Cordelia has worked towards making the company and the services we provide the best in the industry. In such a short span of time, we managed to make our mark in the travel industry and hear customers rave about their experiences on-board. So everyone from the back-end team, administration, on-board staff etc are the ones who made our journey to success possible.”
He shares updates on the offerings and says, “It is key to note that Cordelia believes in delivering these experiences right from the guest’s first interaction with them. They have an end-to-end fully online reservation system designed for the booking convenience of all age groups. Alternatively, guests can also reach out to travel experts at their contact centre for booking assistance or get in touch with their nearest travel agents for Cordelia Cruise bookings. Travel agents can avail of their advanced online booking platform.”
Agent engagement
Kesavan reveals, “We are constantly updating our database with more regional agents to make our offerings accessible to all travel enthusiasts and also form a stronger network of partnership with the agents. We aim to target tier two cities as well in the coming year (both customers and travel agents). As far as our advertising campaigns are concerned, we have been advertising with the newspapers. However, our future plans include advertising through radio and in-theatre advertising which are currently being evaluated and in pipeline.”
In the coming year, the itinerary includes newer destinations like Sri Lanka and Chennai. Currently, Mumbai has been the hub of all Cordelia sailings. However, in the coming year the team also plans to make Chennai as a hub starting monsoon.
