Cordelia Cruises India is capitalizing on burgeoning prospects within the industry, supported by government initiatives.
With a remarkable 97% occupancy rate, the new travel brand has experienced substantial growth and aims to augment its fleet with 2 more ships by the end of 2025.
Jurgen Bailom (the company's President & CEO) outlined plans for extended voyages from India visiting Asian, Australian, and East African ports and destinations.
In the fiscal year 2024, Cordelia surpassed 100 sailings, accommodating 0,5+ million passengers through bi-weekly short cruises. Bailom noted a consistent 97% occupancy rate across these sailings, indicating robust demand.
India has witnessed a surge in cruise ship calls, with 227 arrivals and ~472,000 passengers in the 2022-2023 season. Mumbai anticipates 28 international arrivals starting November 2, 2023. Cordelia's vessel Empress is set to make 80 port calls in India during 2023-2024 season, marking a significant 170% increase over 2022-2023.
Cordelia's diverse customer base comprises 65% families and individual travelers, with growing interest from the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) segment. The company has even entertained requests for onboard weddings and recently hosted a fashion show.
This surge in demand has prompted Cordelia's expansion plans, including the addition of one new ship by the end of 2024 and another in 2025. The strategy entails enhancing existing routes' frequencies while introducing new domestic and international itineraries.
India aims to bolster river cruise tourism by leveraging inland waterways as economic drivers. By improving existing routes, the objective is to substantially boost overnight cruise tourism traffic by 2047, with a focus on significant growth in local cruise tourism on the National Waterways.