There’s a New Reason Indian Tourists Are Flocking to Singapore
- Singapore’s cruise passengers from India increased 29 percent
- Royal Caribbean adds voyages to meet burgeoning demand
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When Indian architect Rahul Maini and his parents embarked on their first trip abroad in May, Singapore was their destination of choice. But the trio wasn’t going for the hawker food or even the city-state’s casinos -- they were there to get on a ship.
The equatorial island has become a flourishing entry point for Indian cruise-ship passengers, bolstering sales for operators, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Genting Hong Kong Ltd. About 100,000 Indians sailed from Singapore last year, 29 percent more than in 2015, making India the biggest market for cruises departing from the Southeast Asian nation, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.