Costa Serena aims to handle 45,000 passengers from November to January

The 300-metre vessel, which has a capacity of 3,780 passengers, is looking to sail with middle-class, young Indian families at a starting price point of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per person, per night

Costa Serena, the first foreign cruise liner to have domestic sailing in India, expects to ferry around 40,000 to 45,000 passengers from November 2023 to January next year with a load factor of 60 to 70 per cent, said Costa Cruises' India GSA, Nalini Udai Gupta.

“We are expecting 40,000-45,000 passengers until January 2024 because we have short sailings, such as two or three nights. India’s domestic sailing bookings are easy to sell as there are no hassles such as a visa, passport, among other things,” Gupta said.

She added that the load factor on the cruise might go higher as India