Mohit Rathod – Mumbai
Italy is tapping the luxury travel segment in India, through cruise tourism. The tourism authority of Italy, Agenzia Nazionale Del Turismo (ENIT) Mumbai, recently organised a travel trade event onboard Costa Luminosa at Mumbai Port Trust. The event was orgainised as part of the Festa Italiana 2016 festival. Focused on explaining visa norms and related issues for the upcoming tourist season, the event was headed by Ugo Ciarlatani, consul general of Italy, Mumbai; Salvatore Ianniello, India representative, ENIT and Nalini Gupta, managing director, Lotus Destinations (GSA for Costa Cruises – India).
Speaking about cruise tourism, Ianniello said, “We realise the potential of the India market. During the last two years, we have focused a lot on the luxury segment, and cruising is an ideal product for this segment. In 2015, we have seen an impressive growth, amounting 4,26,000 Indian visitors to Italy, which is a huge number.”
Adding to that, Gupta pointed out that the Indian travel fraternity lacks proactiveness in cruise business. “The Indian travel trade must look at cruising more actively. Cruising has been in demand in the India market, but there are less people in the industry to take care of it. I realised that cruise can take travellers to some of Italy’s unexplored places and coastlines. On an average, each Costa Cruise has about 350-400 Indians onboard, including the crew. In the beginning, we had only family bookings, but now we have been getting MICE, groups and weddings business too. The whole topography of demand and clientbase has changed in the recent years. Also, the margins in cruising are high,” she said.
This year, the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai has issued 60,000-65,000 visas. However, Ciarlatani suggested to submit visa applications well in advance. Ciarlatani stated, “Italy is one of the biggest destinations for Indian travellers in Europe. One of the main businesses in Italy is tourism. Every year, we have witnessed 10-12 per cent increase in tourism from India, but the main challenge in front of us right now is visa processing. Due to security concerns and the ongoing migrant crisis, we have to inspect each and every visa application carefully, therefore we urge people to apply well in advance.”
The consulate is also planning to expand its staff to boost visa processing efficiency.
