Naresh Rawal

Which source market has shown the best performance for your GCC cruises? 

I would say the biggest source market is obviously the domestic market, because it is a domestic ship for them followed by that I think it is a couple of markets have become of prime importance. One, obviously is India, because India has been growing rapidly and also because of the rapidly improving flight connectivity from India to Dubai. We also have a very strong brand in the Far East. So, we have a lot of people coming in from Singapore, China, and Malaysia. China is reacting very well now.

We have bookings already coming in from Kazakhstan. I believe it is coming in from Azerbaijan and to the extent from Iran as well. So, I would say it is a mix of all. But yes, domestically is obviously going to be the highest.

What percentage of this business has come from Indian travellers?

India as of now is close to about 32 pc of entire business and it is going to grow, going forward as well. MICE market has been the most reactive market, so I have charters which have been confirmed from India, but not just from MICE perspective. It is also for the pre-wedding and family has started this year for one of the pre-wedding functions.

Will your focus primarily be on domestic cruising?

Absolutely. So, what we are offering is a round trip, that is Dubai to Dubai. So, you know, and that is the reason we have adapted ourselves to the local and the cultural requirements. So, we have announcements in Arabic and we are serving 100 pc halal meat and not serving pork on board. 

From the perspective of the domestic market, we have more, in terms of entertainment that is adapted to the local tastes and preferences. So, all of this put together, most of the focus is on the domestic market. So, unlike a lot of other cruise liners what we get to Dubai is a market which was not there earlier. So, whether it is domestic cruising or a fly-cruise, from markets in the South Asia or the Southeast Asia where we as Resorts World Cruises are a very strong brand. I think that is what we have brought to Dubai is a unique experience.

Was the Indian market a consideration when planning the launch around Diwali?

I think in totality for this particular deployment, the convenience of arriving into Dubai from any part of India because of the flight connectivity plus the cultural acceptance. Dubai has always been very high in demand from India. India was always on the radar for this deployment. So, starting with the Diwali week, that is the reason if you see there are so many activities lined up on the ship to celebrate Diwali, it is the entertainment or the food as well.

So, you know, there is a special focus on Indian cuisine with Indian sweets being distributed because that is very symbolic to Diwali. Plus, we also have Indian Idol, a reality singing show in India, stars coming in, and performing on board the ship for the three departures. We also have Sufi singers performing on board the ship on all cruises here.. That is in order to prepare for Diwali and as you know, the ship has been decorated for Diwali. And it is not just Diwali, our DNA is that we will celebrate every possible cultural festival that may come up. And the ship will adapt to every possible cultural celebration.  

Are there plans to introduce additional routes, or will you evaluate the response first?

As of now we have announced our deployment from November 1 2024, till April 11, 2025 departures. That is the best time to cruise in these waters because the weather is quite nice. But we are exploring more opportunities and there could be more routes that could possibly be added. Let us see how this deployment goes for the first six months, because we are targeting every segment because we want to figure out whether is the FIT, the MICE, the special interest groups, all of them put together. So once that happens, I think some more decisions are going to be made.

Are there any future plans for cruises that begin or end in India?

We never stop thinking. So, I would not say yes but I would not say I no either. We will never stop thinking as the opportunities arise. And India is only developing day by day as a cruising market for the opportunities to expand for sure exist. Waters are pretty much, you know, there is still a lot of space available to target that segment from India for domestic cruising. And we have a we have an amazing coastline, so you never know.