Cruise Tourism in India: A Voyage of New Possibilities

Cruise tourism is a nature-driven travel experience that unlocks a country’s rivers, seas, and canals for themed journeys across all budgets. It offers safe and comfortable access to even remote destinations, promoting inclusivity and ease of travel. By tapping into natural waterways, it boosts both national and international connectivity while driving local economies through job creation in hospitality, entertainment, culture, and beyond.

India has significant capabilities in cruise tourism for coastal & river sector. This is due to the presence of:

• 12 Major and 200 Minor Ports along the 7500 km long coastline across the west and east
• Network of more than 20000 kilometres long navigable 110 waterways connecting around 400 rivers.
• There are multiple states, union territories and 1300 islands in India which are along the coastline or along the banks of states and interstate rivers or national waterways.

Steps Taken By The Indian Government to Boost Cruise Tourism

Cruise Bharat Mission

The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ was launched on September 30, 2024, from the Mumbai port. Aimed at the boosting the tremendous potential of cruise tourism in the country, the programme aims to propel country’s cruise tourism industry by doubling cruise passenger traffic within five years; i.e. by 2029.

CBM provides for a framework for inter-ministerial approach for crafting interventions along policy, regulatory, and other aspects governing cruise sector and enable responsible involvement of all regulatory agencies, such as Customs, Immigration, CISF, State Tourism Departments, State Maritime Agencies, District Administrations, and local police.

The initiative aims to excel India’s vision to become 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.

Maritime India Vision 2030

The Government of India’s vision is to make India a significant player in the global cruise market, both for ocean and river cruises. Indian cruise market has the potential to grow by 8X over the next decade, driven by rising demand and disposable incomes.

In order to promote India as the global destination for cruise tourism under MIV 2030, interventions have been identified across three key areas:

• Oceanic and Coastal Cruise
• Island and Infrastructure Development
• River and Inland Cruise

Additional steps taken to boost cruise tourism:

• Cruise vessels receive berthing priority over cargo ships.
• A rationalized tariff structure with standard port charges and nominal passenger tax has been introduced, offering 10–30% volume-based discounts.
• Ousting charges have been removed to attract more cruise traffic.
• Cabotage (the right to operate sea, air, or other transport services within a particular territory) laws waived for foreign cruise ships, allowing them to carry Indian nationals between domestic ports.
• E-visa and visa-on-arrival facilities have been extended.
• Conditional IGST exemption granted to foreign vessels converting to coastal routes, with reconversion required within six months.
• A uniform SOP has been implemented for all stakeholders involved in cruise operations.
• A single e-Landing Card is now valid across all ports on a cruise itinerary.

River Cruise Tourism

River Cruise Tourism is an emerging segment in the leisure industry with a scope for high growth. Several National Waterways constituting major rivers flow through various states and districts, rich in flora & fauna and cultural heritage. Suitable locations at various National Waterways have been identified and are being explored for development of river cruise tourism in India.

Initiatives taken by IWAI towards developing river tourism are:

• Developing the navigational channel on waterways along with navigational aids and carrying out dredging (process of removing sediments), if necessary, in some NWs.
• Construction of vessel berthing, facilities at multiple points along the waterways for ease of movement of tourists.
• Developing an ecosystem for river cruise tourism along with promotion of heritage sites and tourist attractions along the waterways.
• The development of river cruise would augment existing revenue generation, employment generation, etc from tourism industry. There are few suitable terminals along rivers which promote cruise tourism. These include cruises plying along a broad stretch of the river Ganga, Brahmaputra and houseboats floating in the backwaters of Alappuzha in Kerala.

In January 2023, Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the MV Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river cruise, highlighting the country’s thriving river cruise tourism. This luxurious 3,200-kilometer journey from Varanasi to Dibrugarh traversed 27 river systems across five Indian states and Bangladesh. The remarkable expedition garnered global attention and secured a spot in the prestigious ‘Limca Book of Records.’