SINGAPORE Tourism Board Chief Executive Keith Tan believes the destination is only just “scratching the surface” of the potential of the cruise industry, following the announcement Disney Cruise Line will home port its brand new ship in the island country beginning in 2025 (CW 30 Mar). Comparing Southeast Asia’s cruise...
SINGAPORE Tourism Board Chief Executive Keith Tan believes the destination is only just “scratching the surface” of the potential of the cruise industry, following the announcement Disney Cruise Line will home port its brand new ship in the island country beginning in 2025 (CW 30 Mar).
Comparing Southeast Asia’s cruise sector to more mature markets like Australia and Europe, Tan told Cruise Weekly there’s a lot of potential to grow the perception of cruise as an exciting and viable holiday in Singapore and the wider region.
Tapping into the Disney universe will help grow this market, Tan believes.
“We think the product itself has tremendous potential,” he said.
“The brand has tremendous brand equity in the region in Singapore, but also in Southeast Asia and South Asia as well.”
“More importantly, the cruise-going segment of the population in Southeast Asia and South Asia is just beginning to grow.”
Tan believes Disney does a great job of translating its content into onboard experiences.
“One might say that you get a more immersive experience on board a Disney cruise ship than compared to visiting a theme park,” he added.
Disney’s home porting will also help develop its reputation as a choice port for fly-cruisers from South Asia, in particular India.
“Our data was Indian visitors coming to Singapore, spending a few days, then going out to cruise three days, four days, five days cruises out of Singapore, and then flying back to India.
“We saw that as a verifiable itinerary for the South Indian travellers.”
