Nefertiti, the cruise ship of the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) operating from Kochi, has become a huge hit among travellers with its earnings crossing Rs one crore a month. In fact, Nefertiti is the latest success story of KSINC, which has established itself as a major player in the waterway-based tourism and cargo transportation sectors in Kerala.

As per data from May this year, Nefertiti conducted over 30 trips from which KSINC earned over Rs one crore. Similar revenues are expected in the following months also as the ship has already received 100% bookings.

“The Nefertiti cruise offers a heavenly experience for passengers. They can enjoy the stunning beauty of the Arabian Sea near Kochi at a moderate tariff,” said KSINC officials.

Apart from travelling with individual tickets, people can book the ship for holding business meetings, weddings and other celebrations. As many as 200 people can travel at a time on the 48-metre-long and 15-metre-wide mini cruise ship. Built in IRS class for deep sea voyages, Nefertiti is registered under the Merchant Shipping Act.

Facilities onboard include a banquet hall that can seat 200 persons, restaurant, children’s play area, sundeck, lounge bar and 3D theatre. The events already hosted by the ship include meetings of several top companies, doctors’ conferences and company secretaries’ meetings. Nefertiti is now a favourite location for film shootings and promotions also. Among the dignitaries who have enjoyed the cruise is President of India Ram Nath Kovind, who travelled with his family and publicly expressed his happiness. Top celebrities, including superstar Mohanlal, too have been among the travellers.

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) formed a tie-up with KSINC for taking travellers opting for its budget tourism packages on a trip onboard Nefertiti.

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When Nefertiti’s service was launched four years ago, several had expressed doubts whether the venture would be successful. In fact, the cruise vessel was operated by KSINC at a huge loss during the first year of its service. Subsequently, KSINC chalked up marketing plans to attract more travellers to the ship, but the COVID-19 pandemic struck at that time leaving the entire tourism industry in disarray.

However, as soon as the threat posed by the pandemic began to subside, the authorities carried out effective B2B marketing and took crucial decisions such as the setting up of a 24x7 call centre, which soon made the cruise a huge success.

According to KSINC officials, they are presently organising the maximum number of trips possible using the existing facilities. “However, after the work on KSINC’s own boat jetty near the Fine Arts Hall in Kochi is completed, Nefertiti will be able to offer more trips at a low cost,” they said.

Tickets for a trip on Nefertiti could be booked online on the website www.nefertiticruise.com. The contact numbers for cruise booking and information related to the trip are 9744601234 and 9846211144.

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