The $13-15 million Indian cruise market is growing at the rate of 20-25 per cent.

To cash in on the small but growing number of Indians sailing for a holiday, several international cruise brands have set up operations in India.

In the last three years, SevenSeas and Seabourn in the super-premium segment and Princess Cruises, Festival Cruises, Royal Olympics and Costa in the mid-level segment have set up marketing offices or appointed GSAs.

Last year, nearly 35,000 Indians took a cruise holiday with over 85 per cent opting for the Far-east.

Observes Royal Caribbean's India representative Gautam Chadha: "Trends show that total passenger counts and yields are expected to go up by 20 per cent this year. Today, cruising as a lifestyle holiday has caught the imagination of Indians." In a good year, Chadha adds, about 12,000-15,000 Indians take the premium cruise vacations in Europe and the US.

According to industry estimates, about 30,000 people who took cruise holidays bought the shorter three-cruise night options in South-east Asia. The rest opted for the Caribbeans, Scandinavian or Mediterranean waters.

Clearly, the entry of the Italy-based Festival Cruises in March this year shows that the cruise liners are eyeing India in a big way. Festival Cruises is already offering exclusive Jain meals, honeymoon packages and a Hindu wedding aboard the ship.

Little surprise then that Malaysia-based Star Cruises, that sells mass market destination package in South-east Asia, reports a 25 per cent growth over 2002.

Says the company's marketing manager,  Naresh Rawal: "India is among the top five countries after Singapore, Thailand, China, the Philippines in terms of passenger traffic on SuperStar Leo and SuperStar Virgo, the two ships that do the South-east Asia circuit."

Star Cruises, according to SOTC sources, entered the Indian market in 1998 with 10,800 customers in the first year which grew to touch 20,000 in 2000.  Industry sources say, about 30-40 per cent of this sale is driven by corporate incentives.

Cruise industry experts say that Indian travellers are gradually maturing. Companies in the business admit that they have been receiving requests for  longer cruises combined with sightseeing.

Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises which set up its office in December 2000 claims it has also received inquiries for an Antarctica expedition, among others.

Says Nishit Saxena, country head, Princess Cruises, "We find that people with disposal incomes are opting for early retirement and going on longer vacations."