Govt working to upgrade ports, give e-visa facilities to promote cruise tourism in India: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy

The central government is working on upgrading and modernising ports, rationalising port fees, and giving e-visa facilities to promote cruise tourism in India, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday.

He was addressing a gathering of G20 delegates at a side event held in the Goan capital as part of the fourth Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting of the influential bloc.

"Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, since 2014, there have been renewed efforts to develop cruise tourism in India," Reddy said.

Today, the Ministry of Tourism through central financial assistance scheme has been supporting tourism infrastructure development-related projects, whether it is ports, cruise terminals, development of light houses, purchase of ferries, development of river cruise circuits, the Union tourism and culture minister said.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is also working towards development of "dedicated terminals for cruise passengers and cruise vessels as a whole of government approach," he added. "A dedicated task force has been formulated on cruise tourism jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Ports and Shipping," Reddy said.

He was addressing the opening session on 'Making Cruise Tourism a Model for Sustainable and Responsible Travel'. After his address, a panel discussion was also held during which delegates from the US, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, took part.

They shared their insights from the respective countries and also projected the way forward toward making cruise tourism more green and sustainable. Reddy in his address said he was looking forward to the discussion and deliberations that will take place before and during the fourth TWG meeting.

The Union minister told the gathering that the Ministry of Tourism is also funding development of cruise terminals, light houses, other tourism infrastructure in Goa, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam ports. Waterdromes at 16 locations are being developed to enable seaplane operations, and the government is also aiming at development of "domestic and international cruise terminals at selected ports by 2023", he added.

He also shared some data on cruise tourism traffic in India and said it has grown multifold over the last few years. "The cruise passenger traffic grew from 1.26 lakh in 2015-16 to 4.68 lakh in 2019-2020. And, the cruise vessel traffic grew from 128 in 2015-16 to 451 in 2019-20," he said.

Goa is hosting the fourth G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting from June 19-20, followed by the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting from June 21-22. He said "insightful inputs" have come from the last three tourism working group meetings. Reddy described Goa as a "perfect holiday destination" that attracts millions of tourists globally, regularly.

It is a "beautiful blend of sun, sand and sea" offering delightful music and food, he said. "India has more than 7,400 km-long coastline, and it has been a leader in maritime sector, drawing from its rich maritime history. India's long coastline, endowed with scenic location, several ports, natural sites and beautiful islands, is not only a key for trade and exports, but also an opportunity to promote tourism," the minister said.

He said cruise tourism offers something for everyone in the family, with diverse culture and languages. "Cruise tourism appeals to those looking for multi-generational travel options, today 73 per cent of cruise travellers are sailing with family members. It represents at least two generations," he said.

Since, many Indians visit foreign destinations for cruises, the Centre is making efforts to develop cruise tourism in India. "We are working on upgradation and modernisation of the ports, rationalisation of port fees, removing ousting charges, granting priority berthing to cruise ships, providing e-visa facilities to promote cruise tourism in India," he said.

And, also on easing customs clearances, facilitation at ports, which will support blue economy, help create sustainable future, with fishing and aquaculture, the Union tourism minister said.

Promotion of coastal tourism through beaches, light house tourism and cruise tourism will help the fishing community to find other means of livelihood and employment opportunities, and supplement their existing incomes, Reddy said, and added that "due to continuous efforts and efficient policies, 12 Indian beaches now have Blue Flag certification".

Also, the Government of India has already drawn up a programme for developing tourism in the land next to 75 lighthouses, he said.

On river cruise tourism, he cited the example of M V Ganga Vilas, launched from Varanasi, by Prime Minister Modi earlier this year, and said clean rivers will also promote tourism activities like cruise tourism. The MV Ganga Vilas cruise traversed more than 3,200 km spanning 51 days, from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam, via 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.

Also, 50 tourism sites, including World Heritage Sites and national parks, Majuli island, Patna Sahib in Bihar, and Kamakhya Temple in Assam, and a number of other spiritual centres were covered, Reddy said.

In the last nine years, there have been "significant efforts to clean our rivers, among these cleaning and rejuvenating Ganga has been done in a mission mode," he said. Through the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Government of India has "spent more than USD 4.3 billion", he added. The Government of India is "working continuously to develop tourism sector in a sustainable and responsible manner," Reddy said.