Category Archives: Cruises

India’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal will open at the Ernakulam wharf in Willingdon Island in Kochi and will be commissioned in February 2020, said M Beena, Chairperson, Cochin Port Trust (CPT). The Rs 25.72-crore cruise terminal with facilities to handle 5,000 tourists will be spread over 12,200 sq. ft. There are also plans to have regular helicopter services from the terminal to different tourist spots in Kerala. The wharf, after the revamp will have an area to stage traditional art forms, ATMs and food kiosks on the premises. There will also be a permanent space for selling artefacts and others to tourists, aimed at improving visitor experience.

Union minister of state for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya, recently said, two more ports including Kolkata and Vizag are being developed for cruise traffic and would soon start getting calls besides Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Mangalore and Mormugao. He said, “Cruise tourism is currently one of the fastest developing verticals in the Indian tourism sector. Over the years, cruise tourism has been recognised as an active component in the economic growth of any country and we also see it as a major source of employment because of its labour-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors.”

In the last two years, almost a four-fold jump in cruise callings on Indian ports has been recorded as a result of initiatives undertaken to bring in synergy in the functionality of various stakeholders, revealed Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister of state for shipping. The total cruise callings on five ports including Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Mangalore and Mormugao were 138 ships carrying a total of 1.76 lakh passengers in fiscal 2017-18, which increased to 285 callings in FY19 and is projected to rise to 593 cruise traffic in the current fiscal. This number increased to 285 callings in FY19 and is projected to rise to 593 cruise traffic in the current fiscal, he revealed.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has launched helicopter services for cruise passengers, which will take them to the nearby tourist spots. The port has hired private operator Chipson Aviation, which will ferry them from the port to Bekal Fort in Kasaragod, thousand pillar basadi in Moodbidri and Sringeri Temple in Chikkamagaluru district, and back to the port. 16 tourists have reportedly booked these services already. In fact, the port has created two helipads for this purpose. NMPT will only be a facilitator and they will allow operators if they have necessary permission from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Cruise Professionals has launched a special offer for the travel trade on its 11th anniversary. Nishith Saxena, Founder & Director, Cruise Professionals said, “For year 2020, travel agencies just have to sell five cabins (balcony or higher grade cabins) on any of the Princess Cruises year 2020 itinerary, after which, they will be entitled for a free cruise ex Singapore, along with a part of air fare and visa fee of Singapore. The special offer is valid from November 7 to December 6.”

With the beginning of this year’s cruise season on November 4, the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) began its heli-tourism initiative. While the Port had been facilitating transport services like taxi and buses for the guests, the Port Trust has also allowed heli-tourism from its premises. New Delhi-based Chipsan Aviation has deployed a six-seater helicopter to ferry tourists to various toruists places like Bekal Fort near Kasargod in neighbouring Kerala, Sringeri Sharada Peetam, Chikkamagaluru and other attractions.

India, with 221,000 cruise passengers and a growth of 28.1%in 2018 as compared to 2017, is ranked at sixth position in Asia, when it comes to number of cruise passengers, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). China topped the list with 2,357,000 passengers, despite a decline of 1.6% from 2017. It was followed by Taiwan with 391,000 passengers (+4.7%) and Singapore with 373,000 passengers (+39.9%). Japan ranked 4th with 266,000 passengers (+4.5%)  and Hong Kong ranked 5th with 250,000 (+8.6%).

The average age of Indians going for a cruise vacation is 37 years, according Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). This age group basically includes millennials and those travelling with families. In 2018, 43,000 Indians in the age group of 30-39 took cruises, as compared to 32,000 Indians in the same age-group going for cruises in 2017, which translated into a year-on-year growth of 36% in 2018 over 2017.

A total of 157,000 Indians took cruises of up to 3 days in 2018 as compared to 117,000 Indians taking the same duration of cruises in 2017, making it a YoY increase of 35%, revealed by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Cruises of 4-6 days duration saw an increase of 10% with 32,000 Indian passengers, which was 29,000 in 2017. Around 24,000 Indians took cruises of 7-day period in 2018 as compared to 20,000 Indian passengers in 2017, recording a YoY increase of 19%. Long haul cruises of 8-13 days were taken by 5,000 Indians in 2018, which was the same in 2017 as well.

In 2018, a total of 221,000 Indian cruise passengers sailed the seas, a 28 per cent growth over 2017, reveals Jiali Wong, Regional Manager (Asia) of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) from findings of a report. India as a cruise source market has grown by double digits in the past couple of years, she said. Compared to 46.7 years for a Global Cruiser’s average age and 45.4 years for an Asia Cruiser, the Indian cruiser’s average was at a relatively younger 37 years old.