This comprises an extended season of 52 sailings on Mariner of the Seas from October 2017 to April 2018, two sailings on Ovation of the Seas in April 2018, and 18 sailings on Voyager of the Seas from April to July 2018. Ovation of the Seas can carry 4,905 guests, while Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas have capacities of 3,807 and 4,269 guests respectively. These are among the largest capacities in Asia.
“The announcement of Royal Caribbean's longest deployment for the next three years is a reflection of how multisector collaborations like these are vital to developing the local and regional cruise industry. It is these partnerships that enable Royal Caribbean to bring bigger and more innovative ships to Singapore, enhancing the cruise experience for travellers and ultimately growing the industry here,” said Sean Treacy, MD, Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Royal Caribbean also announced that it has entered into a second multimillion dollar marketing partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group to promote cruising out of Singapore to overseas guests on Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.
The cruise brand’s first collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group has been in place with Mariner of the Seas since August 2015. Projected to bring in over 170,000 overseas fly-cruise visitors to Singapore over three years, the first year’s numbers surpassed the annual visitor target by over 40%.
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| Source: Changi Airport Group. The Singapore-homeported Ovation of the Seas. |
As part of the agreement, marketing campaigns, research studies and channel development activities will be targeted at global markets. In Asia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan will be target audiences.
Said Annie Chang, Director, Cruise, Singapore Tourism Board: “This second collaboration with Royal Caribbean International and Changi Airport Group reiterates our commitment to grow Singapore’s cruise industry and position Singapore as the fly-cruise hub of Asia. That Royal Caribbean is increasing its homeported sailings in Singapore also signals the success of our partnership in driving cruise tourism for Asia – a long-standing relationship we’ve had for the past 10 years.”
According to the Singapore Tourism Board, this latest tripartite partnership is expected to bring in around 45,000 overseas fly-cruise guests to Singapore to sail on Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas from March to June 2017. The expected numbers are in addition to the current 65,000 overseas guests projected to sail on Mariner of the Seas from October 2016 to March 2017.
With Changi Airport’s strong air connectivity to more than 380 cities worldwide and around 7,000 flights each week, Singapore is well placed to effectively tap into fly-cruise traffic and serve as a cruise hub for the region.
To kick off the partnership, Ovation of the Seas arrived for her inaugural season in Singapore yesterday, with 10 sailings to take place this season. According to Royal Caribbean, more than half of the ship’s bookings have come from overseas, with the five- and 12-night sailings proving to be popular given more exotic destinations offered.
Peh Ke-Wei, Changi Airport Group’s Vice President of Passenger Development, said,“Fly-cruise traffic has performed well in recent years, and Changi Airport seeks to further grow this segment together with our partners, as part of Changi Airport’s aim to grow different passenger segments in Singapore. With these new offerings, visitors to Singapore will have more travel options. Looking ahead, we seek to bring even more new and exciting experiences to our passengers.”
“This tripartite partnership is a tremendous boost for our first Ovation of the Seas season in Singapore as we deepen our commitment to this region with even more attractive cruise products," Treacy said, noting that the new partnership also marks a milestone in the company's 10th year in Asia.
The outlook for cruise tourism in Asia is optimistic*, with double-digit growth in cruise capacity witnessed in recent years.
*According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)’s report – 2016 Asia Cruise Trends (PDF)
