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Chennai, June 21 CruiseBay, a division of Pune-based Odyssey Vacations Private Ltd, has partnered with Pricol Travels Ltd, part of the auto component group Pricol headquartered in Coimbatore.

Mr Nikhil Thakurdas, Director, CruiseBay, said the company had tied up with 27 cruise companies across the world and offered over 1,000 cruise options. Quoting a study, he said less than 1 per cent of the outbound travellers from India opted for a cruise as part of their itinerary. Globally 12.8 million passengers have travelled in cruise liners, fewer than 70,000 were from India. And even this is confined to South-East Asian regions.

This was due to several factors, including lack of awareness on the availability of choices and cost apprehensions, which according to him is a myth.

The tariff (including food) in a luxury cruise liner starts from Rs 2,500 a night for each person, which is significantly less compared to a stay in a hotel in any overseas tourist destination.

CruiseBay provides information for all segments of travellers and arranges for a comprehensive package for a cruise in 13 regions globally. Partnering with Pricol Travels would help penetrate southern markets India, he said.

Incepted last December, CruiseBay has booked over 80 passengers for various cruise liners for the April-September season.

It hopes to notch 300 passengers next year. Currently, it has its presence in Pune and Ahmedabad and soon it will expand to five cities including Mumbai and Delhi. CruiseBay will contribute to about 15 per cent of Odyssey’s revenue in two years. In 2008-09 Odyssey registered a turnover of Rs 20 crore.

Mr Vikram Mohan, Director, Pricol Group, said Pricol Travels has a host of customers opting for leisure travel, and associating with CuriseBay would benefit both the companies. Pricol Travels has presence in six southern cities.

More Stories on : Strategy | Tourism | Shipping/Ports | Tamil Nadu

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