With an aim to boost cruise tourism in the country, the Government of India has launched the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’. The aim is to propel India’s cruise tourism industry by doubling cruise passenger traffic by 2029, thus enhancing India’s potential as a global hub for cruise tourism. Ten Sea Cruise Terminals, 100 River Cruise Terminals, and five Marinas will be developed under the mission.
Cruise Bharat Mission is expected to result in over 1.5 million river cruise passengers over more than 5,000 Kms of Operational Waterways in India. The mission will be implemented in three phases and cover three key segments – Ocean & Harbour cruise, River & Island cruise, Island cruise. It was launched by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal from the Mumbai port earlier this week.
Employment generation
The initiative is aimed at creating 4 lakh jobs in the revamped Cruise Sector in India, as stated by the minister.
Speaking at the launch of the mission, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The Cruise Bharat Mission is a watershed moment in the revamp of the cruise sector of India. The government is committed to harness the tremendous potential of Blue Economy of India. Cruise, with its tremendous potential in our country, has remained unexplored for long.
With this visionary mission, it is aimed at transforming our maritime landscape and harness the potential of India’s vast coastline and waterways through cruise tourism. Based on critical pillars of infrastructure development, amp up cruise experience for tourists and sustainability of resources, the three phased mission will develop world class infrastructure and enable growth of cruise tourism and maritime trade.”
“The government has been taking measures that witnessed a remarkable increase of 400% passenger footfall in cruise since 2014. The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ will further build on this as it aims to double volume of cruise calls from 254 in 2024 to 500 by 2030 and 1,100 by 2047. We are expecting rise in passengers from 4.6 lakh in 2024 to 5 million by 2047. The mission also aims to create 4 lakhs employment in the cruise sector during this period,” he further said.
Target
Major purpose behind this initiative is to increase sea cruise passengers from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1 million by Phase 3, with corresponding increases in sea cruise calls from 125 to 500. River cruise passengers is expected grow from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1.5 million by Phase 3. The number of international cruise terminals will expand from 2 in Phase 1 to 10 by Phase 3, while river cruise terminals will increase from 50 to 100. Similarly, marinas will grow from 1 to 5, and employment generated will rise from 0.1 million to 0.4 million by the final phase, as per an official statement.
Implementation
Through this initiative, the purpose is to make India a global hub for cruise tourism and promote the country as the leading global cruise destination. The Cruise India Mission will be implemented in three phases, beginning from 1 October 2024 up to 31 March 2029.
The first phase, which is being implemented from 1st October this year and will continue till 30th September 2025, will focus on conducting studies, master planning, and forming cruise alliances with neighbouring countries. It will also modernise existing cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to enhance the potential of cruise circuits.
The second phase, which will be implemented from 1st October 2025 and will continue till 31st March 2027, will concentrate on developing new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to activate high-potential cruise locations and circuits.
The third phase, which will be implemented from 1st April 2027 and will continue till 31st March 2029, will focus on integrating all cruise circuits across the Indian Subcontinent, marking the maturity of the cruise ecosystem while continuing the development of cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations.
