Union Minister Flags Off Maiden Voyage of Costa Serena, India’s First International Cruise Liner

Union Minister Flags Off Maiden Voyage of Costa Serena, India's First International Cruise Liner

VoM News Desk | November 3, 2023 | 09:30 PM IST | Breaking News | Follow on Google News

Union Minister Flags Off Maiden Voyage of Costa Serena, India’s First International Cruise Liner

Union Minister Flags Off Maiden Voyage of Costa Serena, India’s First International Cruise Liner

Mumbai, India – Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, marked a historic moment by flagging off the maiden voyage of the vessel Costa Serena, India’s first international cruise liner, from Mumbai. Speaking at the event, Sonowal highlighted the significance of this initiative in the context of promoting tourism and the government’s “Dekho Apna Desh” initiative led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Boosting Cruise Tourism in India

India has been actively promoting cruise tourism for its economic impact, job creation potential, and foreign exchange earnings. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) has been focusing on developing cruise destinations in coastal states and islands. This initiative has been facilitated by a series of measures, including guaranteed berths for cruise ships, removal of opening charges, uniform rates for major ports, volume discounts in cruise tariffs, waiver of cabotage for foreign cruise vessels, and uniform Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Customs, immigration, CISF, and ports.

Growth in Cruise Calls and Passengers

As a result of these initiatives, there has been a significant increase in cruise calls and passengers in recent years. From 102 cruise ship calls and 84,000 passengers in 2013-14, the numbers have grown to 227 calls and 4.72 lakh passengers during 2022-23, marking a substantial increase of 223% in cruise calls and 461% in cruise passengers in the last nine years. River cruise tourism has also seen an 180% rise in operations during the same period.

India’s Vision for Cruise Tourism

India aims to become the premier cruise hub in the Asia-Pacific region, as envisioned under the Maritime India Vision 2030. To achieve this, the government plans to increase the annual number of cruise passengers in India to 18 lakhs by 2030, up from the current figure of 4.72 lakhs. As part of this vision, the government intends to have 25 operational cruise terminals by 2047, accommodating an estimated annual passenger count of approximately 5 million cruise passengers per year.

Future of Cruise Tourism

The government is also working on launching a comprehensive cruise tourism policy aligned with international standards and practices. This policy will cover crucial aspects such as GST, taxation, excise, and custom duties, with the goal of nurturing the growth of the emerging cruise tourism industry within India.

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