A cruise tourism policy is in the making and will be announced next month, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said, with an aim to tap India’s vast potential on this front and attract more vessels.
The country draws nearly 70 cruise vessels a year, which is expected to go up to 700 with this initiative. “Cruise tourism can be India’s economic growth engine as there is a vast untapped potential. In a month, the policy will be ready as a joint working group comprising shipping and tourism secretaries is working on it,” Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
Gadkari said the action plan will be finalised in the next three months that includes key steps on par with international standards, simplification of procedures, easy immigration and ways to make India a global hotspot. A slew of steps are on to boost infrastructure that include building cruise terminals at five major ports — Mumbai, Goa, New Mangalore, Chennai and Cochin.
India saw 1.76 lakh cruise passengers in 2016-17, a merely 0.5 per cent of the global pie. Domestic cruise passengers are estimated to grow to 1.5 million by 2031-32. Of the 12 major ports, only five — Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, New Mangalore and Chennai — have facilities to berth international cruise ships.
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