Category Archives: Cruises

There’s a luxurious new way to cruise through Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Paradise Vietnam owns the most luxurious cruises in Vietnam, confirming its leading position in the luxury cruise industry. Pioneering in the Indian market to redefine luxury and create brand awareness, Paradise Vietnam selects IRIS Reps as its India representative to position and increase their visibility in the travel industry. In a statement regarding the appointment, Cao Anh Tuan – Director or Sales , stated, “We are pleased to have IRIS Reps on board to help us establish a strong foundation for Paradise Vietnam in India. Our joint efforts will enable us to gain greater visibility and penetrate the vast and diverse Indian market. Paradise Vietnam will continue to uphold its mission of bringing premium and quintessence cuisine to tourists with the desire to reach new heights. We always try our best to bring Paradise Vietnam to new successes and maintain our leading position in Vietnam’s tourism industry. Paradise Vietnam is the pioneer in setting the standard for world-class leisure at sea with 12 most luxurious cruises in Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay, along with experienced staff capable of quality event services, Paradise Vietnam is the first choice for events of various styles, sizes, and occasions.” Commenting on the appointment, Alefiya Singh, Director IRIS Reps said, “We are elated to have entered the partnership with Paradise Vietnam. I am delighted to see Vietnam become one of the best tourism market for India, we aim to still derive greater growth into the region through strategic sales initiatives, marketing partnerships and working closely with the travel trade in India. We look forward to further strengthening Paradise Vietnam as the first choice of destination from …

One Above Global with its presence in over 30 countries has now ventured into cruise liners, we are now the preferred selling agents for Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Costa Cruise Line, Genting Dream Cruise Line. Sharing this news is Rahim Aslam, its Founder Director, who says, “With One Above, our partners can look at land plus cruise packages making us the one-stop solution for all their B2B requirements. We are excited to announce that soon  we will be joining hands with other cruise companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises to expand our services. Ensuring to offer more destinations, more packages, and more discounts to our agents, making it easier for them to plan their perfect cruise. Preeti John comes with immense knowledge and experience in handling sales and operations for cruises. We are confident to support our B2B customers and help grow our businesses mutually.”

Tripjack will now offer Resorts World Cruises to its customer base that include travel agents and leading corporates. Resorts World Cruises is an established Asian luxury and dynamic lifestyle cruise brand that is rich in Asian heritage, offering a personalized cruising lifestyle with diverse international experiences. The partnership aims to give a boost to the international cruise category in the B2B space by improving awareness and discovery, providing seamless booking experience and personalised support. Tripjack will tap its strong B2B presence across India and offer these unique travel experiences. Resorts World Cruises aims to redefine the cruising experience altogether by providing exciting and unique offerings, a variety of accommodations, including the world-class luxury accommodation, “The Palace” – a luxury ship-within-a ship private enclave with its own exclusive restaurant and private amenities, as well as European style butlers a theme park with multiple attractions, on board entertainment and international performances, retail outlets and luxury boutiques, popular and fine-dining and bars, MICE facilities and more. Speaking on the announcement, Abdul Thingna, Vice President, Hotels & Holidays, Tripjack said, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Resorts World Cruises. With our extensive B2B network, cutting-edge technology, and excellent customer service, we are a natural fit with one of the most recognisable cruise lines in the world. At Tripjack, we are committed and consistently working towards providing a plethora of travel experiences that cater to the B2BC market.” “We are excited to partner with Tripjack to offer and expand cruising options to its customer base, which will further boost the Fly-Cruise sector across different market segments, including the MICE segment. With an added and valuable partner like Tripjack, we are confident that our …

Resorts World Cruises commences cruises to Phuket Introducing Genting Dream’s 3 Night and 5 Night itineraries from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (via Port Klang), starting November 2022 until April 2024 – 7 November 2022

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced that it will pay travel advisors commission on non-commissionable fares (NCFs), showcasing its industry-leading commitment to the travel agent community worldwide. NCL is the first major contemporary cruise line to compensate travel advisors on NCFs for reservations booked outside of the 120-day window. Since the establishment of the Brand’s Partners First philosophy, Norwegian Cruise Line has been committed to being the easiest cruise line to do business with by providing agents with educational tools, promotions and marketing assets to help them grow their businesses. “Our Partners First philosophy remains top of mind, and our decision to pay commission on NCFs is further proof of our commitment to this community,” said NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer. “We want our partners to thrive; we want to see their businesses grow all around the world.” The Cruise Line has been dedicated to equipping the travel agent community with the tools and information to provide their clients with exemplary service. This revolutionary choice will further help travel partners establish a stronger relationship with their clients and increase brand loyalty, resulting in repeat business and higher earning potential. “Our travel partners are incredibly important to us and our business; it is a true partnership,” said Braydon Holland ,Senior Sales Director , Norwegian Cruise Line “Advisors know why NCL offers the best cruise experience at sea and when they can speak to our unique, bucket-list itineraries, one-of-a-kind Free at Sea promotion and incredible 18-ship fleet with unparalleled onboard offerings, they are providing immense value to the business. We see this value and we wanted to reward our travel advisors like never before.” The payment of NCFs will go into effect …

The cruise industry has proven its resilience throughout its more than 50-year history—as is evident in the responsible return to operations that began in July 2020. In the baseline forecast, passenger volume is expected to recover and surpass 2019 levels by the end of 2023. In the upside forecast, passenger volume is expected to recover to 101% of 2019 levels a year earlier, by the end of 2022. In all three scenarios, passenger volume is projected to recover in excess of 12% above 2019 levels by the end of 2026.

Speaking on the occasion of Paryatan Parv recently, Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, said, “Earlier we used to be fascinated by international vessels making calls on Indian coasts, especially Mumbai. But of late, river and domestic cruising on the coastal waters and the inland waterways is growing by leaps and bounds. Three years prior to the pandemic, the growth of cruise tourism in India was at 39% annually. Today, there is a high-level taskforce in place under various ministries that has been taking some pathbreaking decisions towards developing cruise tourism in India.”

After having successfully completed 100+ sailings along both the east and the west coast of India, covering 7 ports in total, doing 300 plus shows and serving more than 100,000 guests in the last 12 months of operation, Cordelia Cruises has positioned itself as one of the most preferred cruises in the country. Commenting on the Indian cruising scenario and his experiences, Jurgen Bailom – President and CEO – Cordelia Cruises explains “Our goal with the Indian market was to create change and make cruising a top priority on every traveler’s wishlist and looking at the numbers, we can certainly confirm that we have been successful. We are overjoyed and humbled in equal measure with the response we have received since our launch. Families come in large numbers, weddings and important events are being hosted on board and guests are making memories of a lifetime through the stellar food, entertainment and destination experiences being offered by Cordelia Cruises. We’re onto a great journey in the Indian market and we will continue to work towards curating top notch experiences for our guests.”

Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism & Culture has informed that to harness the potential of Cruise Tourism in the country, a Task Force has been constituted with Secretary (Tourism) as the Chairman and Secretary (Shipping) as the Co-chairman.

Redefining travel in the Konkan region is the Ropax vessel named ‘Kokan Gaurav’ that will cruise from Mumbai ferry wharf to Kashid and Dighi in Raigad. It is Asia’s first high-speed craft (HSC2000) Ropax vessel in India and is being built in Goa by Gaurav Cruises. This modern, high-speed craft, built under the IRS flag, will reduce the travel time from 5.50 hours to less than 3 hours, travelling 49 nautical miles, and will be the safest mode of transport in the region. The HSC craft, expected to be operational by January 2023, can ferry 260 passengers, 20 cars and 11 bikes from the ferry wharf and will have A/C, business and VIP classes. It will be a multi-purpose vessel for logistics, travel, tourism and entertainment. Many senior dignitaries from the Mumbai Port Trust, Maharashtra Maritime Board, Directorate General of Shipping, and Indian Register of Shipping graced the occasion. Gautam Pradhan (Director, Gaurav Cruises), said that he was guided and supported by all the Government authorities to make this project a possibility in spite of multiple challenges. He added that this Ropax will be a role model for others to follow. With the ambition to make tourism in Konkan of international standards he said that his resort in Shriwarhan will be accessible in 3.30 hours from Mumbai via Ropax and 45 minutes by chopper from Juhu. Pushkar Bendre (Director, Gaurav Cruises), said that this high-speed craft will change the way tourists travel in western parts of Maharashtra and will bring a much needed change in the travel to Konkan region.