TravTalk India Online Magazine
Michael Goh, President & Head of International Sales, Resorts World Cruises, outlines key trends that describe the burgeoning Indian market, ahead of the new Arabian Gulf sailings from the cruise liner. In this exclusive interview with TRAVTALK, Goh reveals how they took into consideration the Indian passenger while designing the new itineraries.
Hazel Jain
Speaking at the launch of their new cruise itineraries on Resorts World One, Michael Goh, President, & Head of International Sales, Resorts World Cruises (RWC), reveals that India forms one-third of the total cruise business out of Singapore for the cruise company. “Indian passengers love itineraries that are between 2-3 nights. Hence, we have designed shorter itineraries keeping their requirements in mind,” he said. The cruise liner celebrates two years of operations this year.
RWC’s Resorts World One ship will start sailing in the Arabian Gulf from October 18, 2024 until April 2025. During this six-month homeport deployment in Dubai, the ship will offer three different itineraries of 2 and 3-night cruises. Guests will visit Sir Bani Yas Island (Friday to Sunday), Khasab and Muscat in Oman (Sunday to Wednesday), and finally Doha in Qatar (Wednesday to Friday).
“We will also tap the Indian visitors who are already living in and travelling to Oman, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. From our experience, we know that Indian passengers love 2–3-night itineraries. That is why we have designed shorter itineraries, so that they can combine shore excursions. We will also serve vegetarian and Jain food on ships, as well as halal food,” Goh says.
Tapping the young adult
Goh says, “India is a huge cruising market and Indians love cruising. If we look at India market, they are among top three markets for us. Since the pandemic, in fact, we have developed a new segment of travellers – the young adult. The age group between 18-25 years was one of the most difficult groups to tap because they had the perception that cruising is in a confining environment. But we had a lot of younger people who started cruising during the pandemic and posting their experience on social media. That is when younger people started choosing cruise as a travel option.”
Explaining how these itineraries have been designed keeping the Indian customer in mind,
Naresh Rawal, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, RWC, says, “We have put a lot of thought in designing these itineraries – these are short cruises and round trips. Even on a three-night cruise, we have two ports of call in Oman. We have also kept in mind the timings of the ship to depart and arrive, every departure starts at 9 pm so that one can easily connect to a flight. The ship arrives in Dubai by afternoon, which is perfect for the flight back. We have also kept our Indian customers in mind when it comes to the entertainment onboard. GCC and UAE are possibly the closest to the Indian hearts.”
RWC is in touch with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Board, as well as the Sultanate of Oman, to promote these sailings. The RW CruiseBuddy resource centre for the travel partners has been updated with these new sailings and they can also earn rewards as they sell.
Present at the launch event was Colin Kerr, Senior Vice President Entertainment, RWC, who highlighted offerings designed specifically for Indian travellers.
Some of the entertainment experiences onboard include the new Red Carpet (the signature party), along with Twilight Soirée; salsa class; Japanese or Bollywood dance classes, followed by a flash mob in the evening; pyjama party; enchanting Arabian nights party; fun and fitness workshops; and wellness experiences. He also highlighted the availability of a variety of activities for teens and children onboard.
Good to know
Resort World One features 926 staterooms, 42 suites, six speciality restaurants, three bars and a lounge, and up to six inclusive meals.
