A key event highlight is the panel discussion titled ‘Power Up for A Safe Return to Cruising in Singapore’ with well-known industry veterans such as Naresh Rawal, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Genting Cruise Lines, Varun Chadha, Chief Executive Officer, TIRUN Travel Marketing, Sanjay Kothari, Founder and Managing Director, Just Holidays and Pradeep Saboo, Managing Director, Guideline Travels.
It will be moderated by G.B. Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East and South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board. Two of STB’s key cruise line partners, Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International will share updates and learning on their resumption of operations in Singapore.
Elaborating on the event, G.B.Srithar says: “Pre Covid-19, India was Singapore’s top source market for cruise tourism. While commercial travel between the two countries remain paused, it is important for us to reconnect with our cruise partners and renew our close ties through Cruise World India 2021.This platform will bring together industry leaders to offer valuable insights on how to gear up for when cruising returns, as well help STB to gather feedback on how we can better support our partners.”
Naresh Rawal, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Genting Cruise Lines says: “We have observed that Indian travelers are still keen to cruise and demand is very much in place. We have resumed our operations on a pilot basis in Singapore on the World Dream, which has been well-received by domestic visitors. Our experience in Singapore is a testament that cruising can continue to be safe and enjoyable, even in a pandemic.”
Speaking on the same lines, Varun Chadha of Tirun said: “We remain confident that Singapore is a preferred cruising hub for Indian travellers, given its strong reputation for hygiene and safety, which should give visitors a peace of mind.”
STB will share about enhanced support for stakeholders under the Cruise Development Fund (CDF), which supports industry players in their work to build consumer demand for cruises from Singapore.STB has invited Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd to be part of the event.
“We look forward to working closely with the STB on the CDF initiative as this will be of great support to us at Thomas Cook India and the industry as a whole as we progress on our path to recovery, for when international cruising picks up again,” said Rajeev Kale.
Singapore has piloted safe cruises from November 2020, with enhanced protocols to safeguard passenger health from pre-boarding to disembarkation. More than 120,000 Singapore residents have set sail on approximately 90 sailings on Genting’s World Dream and RCI’s Quantum of the Seas from Singapore since the pilot kicked off, with no reported cases of COVID-19 spreading on board. This is an encouraging response in the restart of cruising.
