Themed 'Charting our Pathway to Cruise Recovery,' the virtual event aims to re-engage and update STB India’s in-market cruise stakeholders.

Based on the theme 'Charting our Pathway to Cruise Recovery,' Singapore Tourism Board organises CruiseWorld India 2021 to re-connect with Indian stakeholders. The event is presented by STB in partnership with Travel Weekly Asia. 

A key event highlight is the panel discussion titled 'Power up for a safe return to cruising in Singapore' with 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.

Commenting on the event, G.B. Srithar said, “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 CruiseWorld 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.”

Varun Chadha expressed, “We are delighted to participate in CruiseWorld India 2021 as it is a key platform to engage with Indian cruise stakeholders and share with the cruise community about Singapore. We remain confident that Singapore is a preferred cruising hub for Indian travelers, given its strong reputation for hygiene and safety, which should give visitors a peace of mind.”

Speaking about the development, Naresh Rawal stated, “We have observed that Indian travellers 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.”

"It was an honour for us at Thomas Cook India to be selected by STB to partner in their pilot CDF (Cruise Development Fund) India initiative. This enabled us to curate a range of vibrant cruise products that could effortlessly coalesce with our Singapore land product. Keeping an unerring eye on the value seeker Indian market, I am delighted that we were successful in creating a fit for multiple segments - from value to super luxury," said Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

“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," he added.

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.