‘India next big cruise opportunity’

With India becoming central to global cruise strategies, Ratna Chadha, Co-Founder & Chairperson, TIRUN Travel Marketing, emphasises its growing outbound demand. Trust, training & tech are key to empowering Indian travel partners, while destinations like the Mediterranean and Galapagos lead cruise itineraries.

Surbhi Sharma

India’s booming economy and expanding outbound travel market have positioned it as an undeniable force in global tourism. For the cruise industry, this presents an opportunity that can’t be missed. Ratna Chadha, Co-Founder & Chairperson, TIRUN Travel Marketing, asserts, “Cruise companies can no longer afford to ignore India. With the country poised to become the world’s third-largest economy, India’s growing appetite for luxury and experiential travel is driving global cruise brands to rethink their engagement strategies.”

Trade engagements

According to her, India is no longer a peripheral market — it is central to global cruise growth, both for outbound travellers and potential domestic operations. The strategy is clear — leverage precision-targeted technology to reach the right audience and empower travel partners through dedicated tools and support. This “win-win” approach, she notes, ensures that travel agents remain committed to cruising as a key vacation category.

Trust, training & tech

Trust, training and technology form the foundation of her team’s long-standing commercial partnerships with the Indian trade. Over the last 30 years, Chadha has built enduring industry relationships by keeping agents in the loop, ensuring transparency, and offering tailored incentives.

Regions in demand

The trade, she believes, already understands how to extract profitability — particularly with support from the cruise brands’ robust sales tools. Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises continue to lead the travel demand, followed by niche, high-value itineraries to Antarctica, the Arctic and the Galapagos. Popular passenger segments include affinity groups, FITs, weddings and incentive travellers.

Why prioritise cruise?

For the travel trade, the takeaway is simple — the cruise wave is rising in India. Those who build the right alliances today stand to gain from an emerging luxury category that is fast becoming a mainstream choice for Indians, she said.