Royal Caribbean sets sights on fly-in cruisers

Royal Caribbean has cruised on into a multi-million dollar marriage with two Singapore partners.

The cruise line has signed a marketing collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group to promote cruising out of Singapore to an overseas fly-cruise audience.

The three-party collaboration – which will operate from now until 2018 – is estimated to deliver over 170,000 overseas visitors to Singapore to sail on Royal Caribbean’s cruises over that period, resulting in a projected growth of over 50%.

The collaboration will see a series of marketing campaigns, research studies and channel development activities in markets such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, as well as Australia, Europe and North America.

Royal Caribbean also plans to up its number of sailings from Singapore during this period to more than 40 a year.

Currently, the cruise line’s mega 3807-guest Mariner of the Seas makes around 30 voyages annually. Her next Singapore season, which will kick off its largest ever this October, will feature more long cruises of seven to 15 nights, aimed at attracting more overseas fly-cruise guests.

“Having deployed ships here regularly for the last seven years, Royal Caribbean now looks forward to its next phase of significant growth in Singapore,” Royal Caribbean Cruises’ md for Singapore and Southeast Asia Sean Treacy said.

“Our three-year deployment plan is our strongest commitment ever to this market and we see great potential in Singapore as a source market and regional cruise hub.”

“We highly appreciate this collaboration which will be a tremendous support for our business goals in Singapore and Southeast Asia, as well as the strong efforts of the Singapore Government for being so proactive in driving the cruise business in the country.”

Projected to generate over $100 million in tourism receipts, the collaboration with Royal Caribbean contributes substantially to Singapore’s cruise industry, with an estimated compounded annual growth of 5-8% over the next three to four years.

“The tripartite collaboration is a significant development not just for Singapore but also for Southeast Asia,” Singapore Tourism Board’s assistant chief executive Neeta Lachmandas said.

“We hope Royal Caribbean’s commitment will inspire new cruise itineraries around the region to offer more reasons for travellers to take to cruising, and also motivate our neighbouring ports and destinations to invest and realise fully the tremendous potential of the Asian cruise industry.”

Providing a link between Royal Caribbean International, Singapore and its regional neighbours is Changi Airport’s strong connectivity to 320 cities worldwide, along with some 6700 weekly flights.

Changi Airport’s senior vp for market development Lim Ching Kiat said the collaboration represents the joint efforts of the three partners to tap into fly-cruise traffic around the world.

“Changi Airport will continue to leverage on its network and work with airlines and travel agents to promote fly-cruise packages through Singapore,’ Ching Kiat said.

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changi airport fly-cruise royal caribbean international singapore singapore tourism board southeast asia