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Tag: tourism industry

  • Cordelia Cruises to Lakshadweep – India’s most searched yet fairly unexplored island

    Cordelia Cruises to Lakshadweep – India’s most searched yet fairly unexplored island

    Mumbai: Cordelia Cruises has emerged as the unparalleled leader in introducing Indian travellers to the splendours of Lakshadweep. Since 2021, they have been the only cruise line consistently facilitating remarkable journeys to this unexplored paradise, making them the definitive choice for anyone aspiring to visit Lakshadweep. Following PM Modi’s recent visit, interest in this pristine archipelago has skyrocketed, with Cordelia Cruises experiencing a 2500 per cent surge in booking queries.

    More than 200,000 Indians introduced to Lakshadweep since 2021: Cordelia Cruises has been the only cruise line to facilitate over 200,000 Indians’ discovery of Lakshadweep since 2021.

    80,000 passengers annually explore Lakshadweep through Cordelia Cruises.

    Regular sailings from Mumbai, Goa, and Kochi: Offering unparalleled access to Lakshadweep.

    Significant economic contribution through shore excursions: Boosting local economies and creating symbiotic relationships with the island communities.

    Cordelia Cruises stands out with its unique itineraries from Mumbai, Goa, and Kochi, offering more than just a journey – it’s an immersive cultural and environmental experience. Over 80,000 guests cruise every year to explore Lakshadweep’s rich tapestry, vibrant marine life, and stunning landscapes through our cruises, significantly boosting the local economy.

    In line with its commitment to sustainability and community support, Cordelia Cruises is planning extensive CSR initiatives. These include local community hospitality training programs and environmental sustainability activities like beach clean-ups, ensuring a positive impact both ecologically and socially.

    Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd, Cordelia Cruises president and CEO Jurgen Bailom said, “We are thrilled about the growing interest in Lakshadweep; we are committed to being an integral part of its growth story. Cordelia Cruises is proud to have introduced over 200,000 Indians to the mesmerising islands of Lakshadweep since 2021, significantly contributing to the region’s tourism and local economies. We’ve witnessed a remarkable interest for Lakshadweep cruises, particularly the 4-night and 5-night itineraries from Mumbai, which echoes the public’s enthusiasm for exploring this idyllic destination.

    India’s cruising landscape has been witnessing a remarkable transformation, and Cordelia Cruises is at the forefront of this monumental shift. With a commitment to delivering world-class cruising experiences, Cordelia Cruises has played a significant role in making the dream of cruising accessible to countless Indian travellers.

  • Tourism Australia says need of the hour is to educate customers

    Tourism Australia says need of the hour is to educate customers

    NEW DELHI: Since the announcement of various unlock phases, business and economic activities have gradually resumed. However, the future is still uncertain for the tourism industry. In a bid to stay afloat amid Covid2019, the travel industry is seeking new ways to engage customers.

    According to Tourism Australia country manager (India & Gulf) Nishant Kashikar, there is a slow but promising rise in queries related to travel.  “People are increasingly seeking out alternative dwellings and short escapes, which is expected to foster a demand for homestays.”

    The revival of the sector, as in the case of every other industry, still largely depends upon the recovery curve across geographies and the timeline allocated for the same.

    He said, “We are optimistic that the travel industry will continue to remain resilient in the face of this adversity and revive soon.”

    Kashikar feels that the need of the hour is to educate consumers. “It is now more essential than ever to reach out to audiences across the world by sharing content that continues to engage them positively while also transparently relaying information on the protocols implemented.”

    He affirms that the brand will continue to communicate all necessary health, safety and well-being measures to ensure the safety of customers.

    Kashikar adds that in a world where brands have little or no physical contact with their customers, effective utilisation of both traditional and digital mediums of marketing is taking precedence. It is imperative for brands to maintain high top of mind recall and positive engagement with customers through these times.

    According to him, brands will effectively use different sets of mediums to communicate as its necessary to do instead of a pause. “This trend will be further supplemented by the large spike in consumption across OTT platforms, social media, and television by global audiences, amid the lockdown. Each of these can be creatively leveraged to reach out to a diverse target audience,” he says.

    He also adds, “One must effectively utilise all their available mediums of communication to educate customers about the prevalent scenario and safety protocols implemented for their welfare whilst also building reassurance.”

    The summer season was a washout but the festive season is expected to bring some relief for domestic tourism. The brand also believes that the festive season will see people opt for staycations to close boundaries.

    Kashikar explains, “The festive season will definitely usher in some positivity directly proportionate with consumption and spending. This may also imply that while customers may not be ready to travel at the advent of the season, they are likely to start planning and booking for holidays and experiences in advance.”

    “While one cannot predict which markets will revive earlier, given the uncertain nature of the pandemic, in view of travel, we are anticipating a surge in activity from the ‘revenge traveler’, once borders open up,” he concludes.

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  • “We are focusing on ROI marketing spends”: EaseMyTrip’s Nishant Pitti

    “We are focusing on ROI marketing spends”: EaseMyTrip’s Nishant Pitti

    NEW DELHI: The travel industry had come to a standstill until domestic flights resumed. EaseMyTrip.com co-founder and CEO Nishant Pitti shares that the situation for the travel industry is slowly improving with a daily increase in the number of passengers for domestic travel. 

    “The fear of the virus is depleting, and people have started to accept the condition and travel ensuring precautions. We expect that a new normal shall emerge within this quarter itself and to remain constant till a cure for COVID2019 is developed, post which the whole sector will quickly grow to pre-COVID2019 level and further continue its growth from there,” he says.

    After the recent call by prime minister Narendra Modi for the 'Vocal for Local' campaign, the brand is aggressively promoting its localisation vision with the help of celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Gautam Gambhir. The 12-year-old Indian company has over 8.81 million customers and a strong B2B network of more than 52,752 registered travel agent partners and 10,477 corporate customers.

    Pitti says, “Many top celebrities, realising the need for VocalForLocal, came together and supported EaseMyTrip for being 100 per cent Indian which took the internet by a storm. With a huge reach through celebrities, the brand has been able to reach out to millions of people who will definitely consider supporting EaseMyTrip in all their future travel bookings.  This has further strengthened the trust of our customers on EaseMyTrip and given us an opportunity to attract new customers and retain them with our customer service and offerings.”

    While flights have resumed, customers are apprehensive about hotel stays. “The need of the hour for the whole industry is to understand the apprehensions of the customers and adopt processes that would calm their anxiety. Hoteliers should go the extra mile to ensure the health and safety of travellers at every touchpoint by adopting practices that would ensure maximum precaution from the spread of the virus. EaseMyTrip feels that there is a major role that OTAs will play in driving responsible and sustainable practices in the tourism industry,” he says.

    Pitti affirms that marketing plays a huge role in educating customers as well as staff members. He says, “Marketing mediums like digital, TV, newspaper, radio, etc., help in reaching out to the wider audience and alerting them with the required information to curb the spread of the virus. In addition to mass media, focussed marketing through audio-visuals for customers and staff can help in wider retention of information towards safe practices.”

    However, the brand has restructured its marketing plans for this year. Pitti says, “The travel market has reduced significantly, with only a percentage of bookings taking place. Our marketing spends have always been proportional to the revenues earned by the organisation and hence, we have restructured them with a greater focus on high ROI marketing spends.”

    Pitti feels until like last year, the festive season will not be the same for the tourism sector, though it will bring some positivity in the sector. “There will be an uptick in transactions, but this uptick would be very small in comparison to the splurge that was seen during the festivities of pre-COVID2019 times.”

    The brand has plans to come up with big campaigns once the travel sector is back in shape. The medium for the campaign shall be a mix of both digital and offline sources, with a focus on digital platforms.