Exclusive Interview Reveals Possible Indian Cruise Venture

Micky Arison, P&O’s CEO and chairman, spoke today in an exclusive video interview about the company and a possible Indian cruise venture, similar to the P&O Cruises Australia offshoot. He pointed out that no decisions had yet been made on establishing a cruise business dedicated to the burgeoning Indian leisure travel sector.

Arison said: "I do think that India is a potentially good market for cruising down the road. The P&O brand would be a very good brand to consider. It's very well established. When we look to that market, P&O would be the frontrunner to do that. Knowing the strength of the brand in India, it would be the logical choice. I really believe that this [cruising] is a vacation for everybody, whether folks are Italian, English, Russian, American or Chinese.

“If you are giving them great value, great food, great service, great entertainment, that's what they're looking for on holiday. There's no reason why this isn't a holiday for every nationality and every place in the globe. It has truly become a global business and that's why I think that as the global economy improves, the future is very bright."

"Our focus is on getting capacity for Princess, that is our number one priority," Arison said. "We will be in a position to announce something relatively soon. We did a deal for Carnival Cruise Lines last month for a very attractive price and I think we are closer with Princess."

This comes on the back of the company taking on six new cruise ships in 2O1O, four of which are for European brands, such as Azura for P&O Cruises and Queen Elizabeth for Cunard.

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