The five-year Cruise Bharat Mission was started by the central government with the goal of increasing cruise tourism in India to one million passengers and generating 400,000 employment by 2029. Financial incentives, relaxation of cabotage laws, and the creation of a special fund are all part of the mission.
The mission will be carried out by 2029 and has been split into three stages. By Phase 3, the Center hopes to double sea cruise calls from 125 to 500. The Center will carry out market research and identify projects to help in the future in terms of funding and regulations until October 2025. In order to activate high-potential cruise places and circuits, the ministry will focus on building new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations between 2025 and 2027. The Center plans to interconnect all cruise circuits throughout the Indian Subcontinent in Phase 3.
By Phase 3, there will be 1.5 million river cruise passengers, up from 0.5 million in Phase 1. River cruise terminals will rise from 50 to 100, while international cruise terminals will grow from two in Phase 1 to ten by Phase 3. By the last stage, employment will increase from 100,000 million to 400,000 million, and the number of marinas will increase from one to five, according to the shipping ministry.
The ministry will create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for cruise development under the Indian Ports Association (IPA), which represents India’s main ports, in accordance with its mission statement. In order to raise money for a specific cruise fund under the IPA, which will also get money from other industry sources, the Center will also try to impose a “cruise development cess” at major ports.
To get a comprehensive understanding of industry demands, the first stage is to conduct a demand assessment and business model research of typical cruise products. This pillar will also include cabotage relaxations, cruise shipping laws for Indian flag cruise ships, and financial incentives for cruise developments, according to the mission paper.
According to officials, the ministry is now creating technical criteria for heliports, water aerodromes, and world-class, environmentally friendly terminals and marinas. The ministry will now draft a National Cruise Infrastructure Master Plan 2047 and Model Concession Agreements for different PPP development types.
In order to produce almost half a million jobs, the federal government will work with several skill councils of the National Skill Development Council to develop cruise-specific National Occupational Standards (NOS) and encourage young employment.
The government is seeking to form Cruise Alliances with neighboring nations like the United Arab Emirates, Male, Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia in order to expand its international cruise outreach.
