India has clocks four-fold jump in cruise calling in the last two years. The total cruise callings on five ports including Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Mangalore and Marmugao were 138 ships carrying a total of 1.76 lakh passengers in the fiscal year 2017-18. The initiatives undertaken to bring in synergy in the functionality of various stakeholders have resulted in a nearly four-fold jump in cruise callings on Indian ports in the last two years.
The cruise industry accounts for a significant portion of the contribution to the national economy. With an increase in the total cruise calling in 2017-18, the numbers rose to 285 calling for the financial year 2019, further projected to rise to a 593 cruise traffic in the current fiscal year. Associated with the initiatives taken by the Government of India in the promotion of cruise tourism in the country, Union Miniter of State for shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya said:
“Cruise tourism is currently one of the fastest developing verticals in the Indian tourism sector. Over the years, cruise tourism has been recognised as an active component in the economic growth of any country and we also see it as a major source of employment because of its labour-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors”.
Cruise Tourism expected to rise further in the next five years.
Speaking at the same occasion, Mumbai Port Trust chairman, Sanjay Bhatia urged cruise liners to come to India as the government authorities have been taking proactive steps to finally use long coastline for homeporting and developing inland waterways. With Costa Victoria, having a capacity for 2394 passengers, it has become the first biggest cruise to do homeporting in Mumbai.
In 2015 only 128 cruises visited indian ports, constant efforts of Modi Government have reached this at 600 cruises in this years.
Now, We are focusing to get maximum cruise at Different locations of Gujarat— Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) November 13, 2019
New destinations such as Tarkarli, Murud Janjira and Ganpatipule in Maharashtra, Thiruvanathapuram, Vizhinjam and Calicut in Kerala, Daman, Diu Porbandar and Dwarka in Gujarat and Lakshwadeep and Kadmat Islands all being developed, Sanjay Bhatia further added on that in the next five years cruise calling is expected to increase to 1000 and reach 2000 in ten years.
