expert speak CRUISING NISHITH SAXENA Tapping the potential of young turks who have indulged in all flavours of luxury, the market share of high end cruising has increased by 30%. Nishith Saxena, head of Interglobe cruises talks about customised experiences and an ever increasing demand by global Indians
cruising is aspirational but first timers gradually become regular What is the status of high-end cruising? The general estimation of the market share of highend cruising is approximately 30% based on the number of lower berths capacity of small, medium and large cruise vessels across globe. This takes into account all reputed cruise lines. The fact that even mass market cruise lines also have some high-end suites and villas, adds to this number. In the global scenario, the market share of the high-end cruising is evaluated differently by different bodies. Some look at all passengers carried by premium and luxury cruise lines; some look at passengers carried by all cruise lines who travel only on Mini Suites, Suites and Villas, others look at all passengers who have sailed for 10 days or for a longer vacation. There is no denying that there are variables, but for better understanding and for the purpose of segmentation, we consider passengers who have booked Mini Suites, Suites or higher cabin categories and those who have sailed on 14
itineraries which are 10 days longer as the high-end cruisers. What are the key differentiators of highend cruising? ■ High-end cruising is all about passenger comfort and providing top-of-theline services ■ It has more inclusions in the fare to make passengers feel pampered all the time ■ High-end cruising works on a price barrier, therefore, the mass market target audience is totally excluded ■ These passengers appreciate the fact that such products are sought after by the A-list people globally, hence early bookings are solicited. ■ High-end cruising is always linked to some reward programs, so the cruise lines are always in touch with passengers, before, during and after the cruise Who is a typical highend cruiser? A typical high-end cruiser is a person who is used to luxury and has learned to appreciate this on a regular basis. Be it a new set of wheels, flying first class, a new wrist watch or a
GO NOW September 2011
choice of wine he/she consumes. The high-end cruiser is not only wealthy but is also well-educated and is in control of his life –normally a secondgeneration businessperson. He/she has passed the age of 45 and is well-established in his business and social circle. His motivation in life is drawn from the fact that he looks at every experience of life as a collectible item. Do you see a trend of high-end cruising in India? High-end cruising is synonymous with high-end living. India as a country is rich in its culture, heritage and wealth. The movers and shakers of every state here have some connection with royalty. Some of these have become big industrialists owning several businesses over the years. These are the people who have been travelling overseas for several decades, since the time when the only form of transport to travel between the countries was by ships. Therefore, luxury travel by cruise lines is not something new to them. Cruising is always seen
as an aspirational mode of travel and nowadays anyone who can afford, is trying to get initiated on cruising. The trend is encouraging and we hope to see more and more passengers coming onboard various ships – the first timers normally seek a short duration, short hallcruise and then they gradually move to medium duration, medium haul cruise and in few years they start cruising regularly with all possible combinations suiting their individual tastes and affordability.