India, Sept. 9 -- When content creator Navan Jaiswal flagged down Jurgen Bailom on the upper deck of a massive luxury liner, he was meeting the man who is single-handedly dominating India's maritime tourism industry. As CEO of Waterways Leisure Tourism Limited, Bailom oversees Cordelia Cruises - a Rs.8,000 crore brand that commands a staggering 99% of the Indian cruise market.

But behind impressive annual revenue lies an incredible personal journey: Many decades ago, the Austrian-born executive entered the hospitality industry not from a boardroom, but as a waiter on the floor.

In the conversation with Jaiswal, Jurgen Bailom touched upon many topics - including how he started as a waiter, the difficulties of running a cruise business, I...