More ships are plying Asian waters, offering a range of enticing itineraries around Asia. The ships are bigger too, which means more attractive amenities on board, from whisky rooms to karaoke lounges, nightclubs to water parks and high-flying rope courses to bumper cars.

The larger ships are also more fuelefficient than they were a decade ago. Coupled with lower oil prices, more competitors and greater economies of scale, cruises are now 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than they were 10 years ago, according to Ms Christina Siaw, chief executive of Singapore Cruise Centre, which opened in 1991.

It has terminals at Harbourfront and Tanah Merah. Travellers can pay less than $400 a person for a three-day, two-night cruise from Singapore to Port Klang or Penang and back. It includes accommodation, food and entertainment.

Asia is the largest growth market for the cruise industry, with a 30 per cent annual increase in passenger capacity between 2013 and last year.

According to the 2017-2018 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, Asia is set to overtake the Mediterranean as the world’s second largest cruise market by capacity this year. The Caribbean is the biggest.

Demand is largely driven by the Chinese, who account for just under half of the two million Asian travellers who embarked on cruises last year.

But Singapore is punching well above its weight and was the third largest market source of Asian cruisers, providing 8.8 per cent of the passengers, behind 11 per cent from Taiwan. And they are not all retirees either.

Though passengers in their 50s account for 25.7 per cent of Singapore cruisers and form the largest demographic, the average age of the Singapore cruiser is 46 years old. Industry experts say this will likely shift as ships are increasingly designed to attract younger clientele, with amenities such as nightclubs and water parks, and themed itineraries such as It’s The Ship, a multi-day electronic music festival at sea which is geared toward millennials.

Dynasty, Chan Brothers and CTC travel agencies say multi-generational families, young couples and corporate bonding groups make up the bulk of their cruise bookings, which have increased 25 to 50 per cent annually for at least the past two years. Since launching its dedicated Worldwide Cruise Centre department in 2012, Chan Brothers Travel has seen a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in cruise bookings, which now account for 15 per cent of the agency’s business, up from 5 per cent before.

Last year, there were 31 cruise line brands with 60 ships active in Asian waters, up from 43 ships in 2013.

They increased the number of cruises in the region by 22 per cent to 1,560 and increased passenger capacity by almost 30 per cent, compared with 2013. For years, cruise itineraries out of Singapore have mainly travelled up the Strait of Malacca to Port Klang, Penang or Phuket and back, and these short two- to four-night regional cruises are still the most popular itineraries for Singapore travellers.

Themed cruises – such as Father’s Day cruises, Getai cruises and Star Cruises’ Sanrio Hello Kitty at Sea cruise – are also favoured.

As local cruisers become more confident in the product and more ships enter the market, cruise lines and travel agents are working hard to keep up with travellers’ demands for alternatives. Cruise lines are now offering itineraries to Vietnam, South Korea and Japan, and developing voyages to newer massmarket cruise destinations such as north Bali, Dubai and Boracay.

Most Singaporeans who fly overseas to join a cruise head to Europe, predominantly for cruises around Scandinavia or to the Baltic. River cruises, which account for 25 per cent of Chan Brothers’ cruise bookings, are growing in popularity too, as travellers delight in the opportunity to ply the Danube or the Rhine, hopping off to explore cities such as Budapest or Cologne, while admiring the European countryside.

To make it easier for travellers to embark on cruises outside Singapore, travel agents are organising escortedcruise and fly-cruise packages, which include flights, transportation, accommodation and sometimes guides on the ground for worry-free travel.

With the ability to dock two ships of up to 360m in length at a time, and no height restriction, Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore has more than doubled Singapore’s berth capacity. Now megaships such as the Royal Caribbean’s 348m-long Ovation of the Seas can dock with close to 5,000 guests on board.

In March, Royal Caribbean International, Changi Airport Group and Singapore Tourism Board announced a multi-million-dollar tripartite marketing agreement to grow the fly-cruise market in Singapore. Changi Airport’s connection to more than 300 cities worldwide and Singapore’s geographic location as the gateway to destinations around South-east Asia, make it an ideal home port for travellers to embark and disembark from cruises.

At least nine ships will make their home ports in Singapore this year, including the Ovation of the Seas and two other Royal Caribbean ships, two Celebrity Cruises ships and Genting Dream, the premier ship of Genting Hong Kong’s Dream Cruises line, which has been designed specially for the Asian market. Cruise lines are incorporating more Asian restaurants as well as amenities such as mahjong and karaoke rooms to appeal to Asian passengers.

Ritesh Tiwari, 41, vice-president of finance for a multinational company here, has taken numerous cruises, including a river cruise down the Nile and a cruise with colleagues from Mumbai to Goa. He has booked his mother and family of four on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Port Klang.

The on-board activities and the variety of food and tours are what he is looking forward to. The comparatively lower cost is also attractive.

“If you include the cost of airfare, accommodation, meals and sightseeing, a four-day stay in Phuket would be much more expensive than our fourday cruise staying in a family suite,” he says.

“Food and the sights are taken care of, and when you’re not sightseeing, you’re relaxing on the deck, around the pool or in the room. It’s a singular experience,” he says. He has recommended regional cruises to his friends and extended family too. He is already looking forward to his family’s vacation next year, which will include a land and cruise component.

“I didn’t realise it before, but there are some fantastic itineraries to lovely places around the world,” he says.

The Straits Times/ ANN