Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, launched the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ from the Mumbai port on Monday.

Aimed at boosting the tremendous potential of cruise tourism in the country, the programme by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways aims to propel the country’s cruise tourism industry by doubling cruise passenger traffic within five years; that is by 2029, said he.The Minister of State, MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur also joined Sonowal at this historic occasion.

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Sonowal launched the mission from onboard cruise ship ‘Empress’ . It 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 October 1 up to March 31 2029.

Accordingly, The Phase 1 (01.10.2024 – 30.09.2025) 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 Phase 2 (01.10.2025 – 31.03.2027) will concentrate on developing new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to activate high-potential cruise locations and circuits.

The 3rd Phase (01.04.2027 – 31.03.2029) 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.

Key performance targets across the phases include increasing 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 will 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.

Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said, “The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ is a watershed moment in the revamp of the cruise sector of India. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is committed to harness the tremendous potential of the Blue Economy of India. Cruise, with its tremendous potential in our country, has remained unexplored for long.

“The visionary mission 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 minister added.

“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has been taking measures that witnessed a remarkable increase of 400 per cent passenger footfall in cruise since 2014. The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ will further build on this as it aims to double the volume of cruise calls from 254 in 2024 to 500 by 2030 and 1,100 by 2047. We are expecting a 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,” said Sonowal.

Additionally, the mission will enable the responsible involvement of all regulatory agencies such as Customs, Immigration, CISF, State Tourism Departments, State Maritime Agencies, District Administrations, and local police.

The ‘Cruise India Mission’ targets three key cruise segments. First, the Ocean & Harbour Cruise segment encompasses ocean cruises, including deep-sea and coastal cruises, along with harbour-based yachting and sailing cruises. Second, the River & Inland Cruise segment focuses on river and inland cruises on canals, backwaters, creeks, and lakes. Lastly, the Island Cruise segment highlights inter-island cruises, lighthouse tours, live-aboard experiences, expedition cruises, and boutique cruises to lesser-known destinations.