By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International has signed its first multimillion-dollar marketing collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) to promote cruising out of Singapore and attract more overseas fly-cruise guests to the country.
The tripartite collaboration, which will last from 2015-2018, is expected to encourage more than 170,000 overseas visitors to sail on Royal Caribbean’s Singapore departures, a rise of 50%. The three organisations aim to achieve this rise via marketing campaigns, research studies and channel development activities in markets such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, Australia, Europe and North America.
Royal Caribbean’s 3,807-guest Mariner of the Seas, which currently offers 30 voyages from Singapore per year, will sail more than 40 voyages from the country starting this October. The ship will also sail longer cruises lasting seven to 15 nights.
“Having deployed ships here regularly for the last seven years, Royal Caribbean now looks forward to its next phase of significant growth in Singapore,” said Sean Treacy, managing director of Singapore and Southeast Asia of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “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 more than US$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% in throughput over the next three to four years.
“The tripartite collaboration is a significant development not just for Singapore but also for Southeast Asia,” said Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief executive of the Business Development Group at Singapore Tourism Board. “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.”
Singapore’s Changi Airport, which offers connections to 320 cities worldwide and 6,700 weekly flights, will enable Royal Caribbean to boost fly-cruise traffic from across the globe.
“This collaboration represents the synergistic efforts by CAG, Royal Caribbean and STB to effectively tap fly-cruise traffic from across the globe and serve as a cruise hub for Asia,” said Lim Ching Kiat, CAG’s senior vice president for Market Development. “Changi Airport will continue to leverage on its network and work with airlines and travel agents to promote fly-cruise packages through Singapore.”