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Princess targets passengers from Malaysia and Brunei on SE Asia deployments

Princess targets passengers from Malaysia and Brunei on SE Asia deployments
Princess Cruises is targetting passengers from Malaysia and Brunei through its southeast Asia deployments.

'Cruising is becoming a popular travel option for tourists from Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei,' said Farriek Tawfik, director of Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

Sapphire Princess is currently based in the region for a second homeporting season running from November 2015 to March 2016, making roundtrips from Singapore to Southeast Asia destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Diamond Princess will begin a first season in the region in 2016, featuring 16 cruises ranging from three to 10 days and 14 long voyages of nine to 21 days, which is a combination of short sailings.

This is aligned with the Malaysia and Brunei governments’ goals to leverage cruise tourism to increase visitor traffic and spending. Malaysia’s vision of a Straits Riveria Cruise Playground targets to bring in RM$1.75bn in gross national income and create 10,000 jobs by 2020 from cruise tourism.

Princess Cruises notes it is also witnessing emerging cruise traveller profiles in Southeast Asia such as first-timers, young adults and families, as more Asians look to explore their own region by cruise ship.

'The surge in interest for cruise vacations from different consumer groups – first-timers, honeymooners and couples, families, is overwhelming and we expect a double-digit growth in Malaysian and Brunei travellers opting for cruise vacations in the years ahead,' said Tawfik.

Princess Cruises has a full-fledged on-going travel agent outreach program in the region including online training program via the Princess Academy which has just been launched in Brunei and East Malaysia.  

To tap further into the potential of Malaysia and Brunei’s cruise markets, Princess Cruises will continue its marketing programs and initiatives in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, working closely with travel agents to promote cruising as a vacation of choice.