As World Dream celebrates its one-year milestone of safe sailings in
Singapore since November 2020, parent company Dream Cruises reveals the
many factors that spurred demand for its cruises.
Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises and head of international
sales at Genting Cruise Lines, shared that despite the circumstances in
the past year, “the continuous support from the Singapore Tourism Board,
the local authorities, and the general public” has given the cruise
line the opportunity of providing “Singapore residents with an
alternative and safe vacation experience.”
In addition to providing “an alternative and safe vacation
experience”, throughout the year, World Dream launched multiple
first-of-a-kind initiatives to further entice local residents to sail
with the cruise line. Some of these include widening its culinary
offerings for Muslim and vegetarian guests, showcasing select homegrown
brands with exclusive merchandise, and integrating globe-trotting
themes.
Since
its restart, World Dream has welcomed approximately 200,000 Singapore
residents aboard, and it seems that cruisers are still responding
positively to these initiatives. World Dream’s sailings for the rest of
the year are almost sold out, and bookings for the early months of 2022
continue to show a positive trend.
World Dream has also seen an increase in cruise demand from younger
travellers, including Millennials and Gen X-ers, as well as couples with
no children or families with non-school-going young children.
According
to Dream Cruises, due to the wider range of demographics who have taken
to cruising in Singapore, the cruise line’s on-board spending has
increased by 37.5% in 2021 as compared to pre-pandemic in 2019.