With growing disposable income, middle class is embracing cruise: Sarbananda Sonowal

Union Minister of Ports, Transport and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal says a five-fold surge in cruise passengers in India over the previous decade has been fuelled by rising disposable incomes, a rising urge for food for premium journey experiences and a better consciousness of cruise tourism. Edited excerpts from an interview with Shantanu Nandan Sharma:

How real looking is the federal government’s goal of doubling the variety of cruise passengers from about half 1,000,000 now to 1 million by 2029?

In 2013-14, the variety of sea cruise passengers was solely 84,000, which elevated to about 500,000 within the final monetary yr. This reveals a development of virtually 500% in simply 11 years, additionally reflecting on the long run development potential within the sector. In FY2024-25, 93 worldwide cruise vessels known as at Indian ports. This big development has occurred because of the concerted efforts of the federal government to offer an excellent cruise tourism ecosystem within the nation by bringing about adjustments within the coverage that was dormant for many years, offering monetary and tax incentives, adopting worldwide greatest practices, creating cruise infrastructure, together with world-class cruise terminals, and varied different cruise-tourism pleasant measures.

Have you ever observed the pattern of extra higher middle-class Indians experiencing cruise tourism now?
Cruise tourism is gaining robust traction amongst India’s higher center class section. Rising disposable earnings on the hand of a burgeoning center and higher center class is enabling them to more and more embrace cruise as a most well-liked leisure alternative. This surge is pushed by rising disposable incomes, rising aspirations for premium journey experiences and elevated consciousness of cruise holidays. The Maritime India Vision 2030 tasks an eightfold growth of the Indian cruise market by 2030, citing rising demand from the center and higher center lessons.

However does India have sufficient new-age cruise terminals?

There are six cruise terminals in Mumbai Port, Cochin, New Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Goa. The Mumbai Port worldwide cruise terminal has been just lately renovated, and the improve of the Goa Port cruise terminal is in progress. Additional, cruise ships additionally go to the Andamans, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. Puducherry as a cruise vacation spot had its first name solely earlier this month. Additionally, India’s river cruise tourism is witnessing sturdy development, with 15 river cruise circuits operational throughout 13 Nationwide Waterways (NWs) spanning 9 states. The variety of NWs supporting river cruises has risen from simply 3 in 2013-14 to 13 in 2024- 25, whereas luxurious river cruise vessels have elevated considerably from 3 to 25 throughout the identical interval. To spice up inland water-based tourism, 51 further cruise circuits have been recognized on 47 NWs for growth by 2027. Three world-class river cruise terminals are additionally deliberate, with development already underway at Kolkata.

Why are many cruise liners nonetheless hesitant to make Indian ports their house ports?

The exceptional development of India’s cruise sector is supported each by home and worldwide ship calls. At current, Delhi-based Waterways Leisure Tourism Ltd has homeported one ship. Homeporting is a strategic determination of cruise liners, however our authorities has been proactively engaged on quite a few points to make India a preferable vacation spot.