Cruising: A new fad among Indian Travellers

More and more Indian tourists are now choosing to cruise as holiday and cruise packages become more attractive

When Shantanu and Barnali Mukhopadhyay from Durgapur in West Bengal wanted to go on their 'second honeymoon', they opted for a cruise to Singapore. So did Rajesh and Navjot Makkar from Chandigarh. Nothing exceptional about that; except that Shantanu Mukhopadhyay is a cloth merchant and Rajesh Makkar is a computer engineer. But then, with cruise packages starting from Rs 30,000, sailing the high seas is no more a prerogative of the upper crust.

In recent times, this tourism sector has opened up to a wider market with greater aspirational value and increasingly deepening pockets, which in turn has given a great impetus to the industry.

Cruising has become a popular choice for the outbound Indian traveller. As Gautam Chadha, India representative for Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, explains: "Indians have now become global travellers: exploratory, indulgent and consuming. Cruise vacations are gaining popularity over destination holidays. Currently, over 70,000 Indians opt for cruise vacations annually and this number is expected to grow."

The booming Indian economy, well-priced holiday packages, and the rise in disposable incomes, can all be credited to the phenomenon. "The driving force behind this growth is the thriving Indian economy and prospering middle class. Cruising is seen as a hassle-free holiday and makes for a luxurious time out. All one needs to do is buy a cruise ticket and everything thereafter is taken care of through the duration of the holiday," says Vivek Nishant, assistant manager, sales and marketing, MSC Cruises.

Cruising across the border
Most Indians choose to go abroad for a cruise. This is because of the limited number of luxury cruises available in India. "Cruise tourism is in its infant stage in India. It has seen a tremendous push in the last five years but still has a long way to go. With positive support from the shipping and tourism ministry, we have great expectations from this industry in the next five to six years," says P Bharathi, CEO and director, AMET Shipping India.

India's extensive coastline has seen a few ships plying the coastal waters, but infrastructural changes with more facilities and a better tax regime need to be developed. The backwater cruises offered in Kerala have gained recognition globally and have put the state on the international tourism map. Following Kerala's lead, ports in Mumbai, Goa and Chennai are being developed by the shipping and tourism departments.

Cruise liners may still be limited in India but that shouldn't prevent wannabe shippies from hopping aboard. International opportunities are immense and, as Chadha adds, "This is one of the most sought after employment in the tourism industry. Royal Caribbean alone employs close to 10,000 Indians on board its fleet of 40 ships." Working for a cruise liner comes with a lot of perks. The attractive salary package is just the tip of the iceberg. "The contracts are for not less than six months; food and lodging are paid for and one gets to visit different countries," explains Chittaranjan Bhattacharjee, dean and strategic business unit head, Kuoni Academy.

Job opportunities

Job opportunities in this field of work can broadly be divided into three categories-technical, hospitality and commercial operations. The technical department includes engineering and navigation. Hospitality consists of chefs, waiters and housekeeping staff and the commercial operations team works on developing ports, scheduling, planning, ticketing and marketing.

Working the cruise line is not all fun and games though. For one, the working hours are long and often run to seven days a week. You also require intensive sea training before you get inducted. "The training period can range from six months to a year," explains Bharathi. AMET University and the Indian Maritime University are among the few institutes that offer sea training in India.

That said, the romance of the rollers is rather difficult to ignore. And given that the growth opportunities in this line are unlimited, people with strong sea legs should jump on board before they miss the boat.

Reproduced From India Today. © 2011. LMIL. All rights reserved.