India can develop one of world’s major cruise tourism destination: Official

Officials present at the conference said they expect cruise tourism to grow further, given the states can provide the itineraries and develop destinations that can attract international cruise tourists

Panaji: India has the potential to develop one of the world’s major cruise tourism destinations with persistent interest among international cruise carriers to visit domestic destinations like Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry, besides existing destinations like Cochin, Goa and Mumbai, said Indian Ports Association chairman Rajiv Jalota said on Friday.

Every year, India receives international cruises from Europe via the Red Sea, from Gulf Countries as well as cruise ships from Singapore and SouthEast Asia (Representative Photo)

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on the future of Indian Ports, Jalota, who is also chairman of the Mumbai Port Authority, said with the right policies in place, India will be well-placed to tap into the growing market.

“India is seeing a lot of traction. There was tremendous traction for India (at a recent cruise tourism conference) among the big cruise lines as well as the adventure excursion of those small cruise lines. Pondicherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar are in great demand by the international community,” Jalota, who is also the chairman of the cruise tourism cell, said.

Every year, India receives international cruises from Europe via the Red Sea, from Gulf Countries as well as cruise ships from Singapore and SouthEast Asia. On the domestic front, Cordelia Cruises operate cruise ships from Mumbai via Goa, Cochin, and Lakshadweep, including Sri Lanka, as part of existing itineraries.

At Goa’s Mormugao Port, which is among the major ports to receive cruise tourism vessels, its chairman N Vinodkumar said the port was expecting an increase in footfalls this year.

“For the next season, we are already getting calls because last season also we saw an increase in the number of vessels. Last year we had a total of 1.20 lakh (120,000) passengers out of which 90,000 were domestic passengers and the rest international. The number of ports will be higher,” Vinodkumar said.

He added, “We are providing 1% of the cruise passengers of the world. Our number will easily reach 10% in the next four years. Cruise terminals are also making a lot of money… There is a lot of potential”.

Officials present at the conference said they expect cruise tourism to grow further, given the states can provide the itineraries and develop destinations that can attract international cruise tourists.

“We have made some plans for 100 days of policy changes. A lot of work has to be done by the states in providing the proper itinerary and improving the destinations. We have taken it up with the tourism ministry and the tourism ministry will impress the respective state government,” an official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Among the international cruise companies who have expressed interest are MSC Cruises, a Swiss-Italian shipping company, and Royal Caribbean International, which are looking to commence operations in India, connecting coastal tourism destinations. However, according to officials familiar with the process, the international cruise liners have raised concerns regarding the tax regime they will be subjected to.

“They are in talks with our revenue department. Some data is being asked from them. For India to take a call to give some benefit is a difficult task. If we can do something in the next three or four months, then two years later, orders for more ships can be placed,” the official mentioned above said.

Goa’s Mormugao Port, which is expected to receive an even higher number of cruise ship visits this season, is hopeful it can launch its upgraded cruise terminal in January next year.

According to officials, last year’s cruise tourism season was blighted by the Red Sea crisis in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, which led to several cruise liners using the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to travel to the Indian Ocean, cancelling their visits to Indian destinations, adversely affecting the growth of the sector.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships has launched a coastal vessel tracking system for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that will be aimed at monitoring the movement of vessels around the strategically significant islands similar to a VTS that operates in the Gulf of Kutch that provides data to the 12 ports of Kutch.