The union minister of ports, shipping and waterways launched the Cruise Bharat Mission from the Mumbai Port on September 30, 2024. The mission is aimed at boosting the tremendous potential of cruise tourism in the country and doubling cruise passenger traffic by 2029.
It will be implemented in three phases, beginning from October 1, 2024 and continuing till March 31, 2029. The phase 1 (October 1, 2024 till September 30, 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 (October 1, 2025 till March 31, 2027) will concentrate on developing new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to activate high-potential cruise locations and circuits. Finally, the phase 3 (April 1, 2027 till March 31, 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.
Moreover, the 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. The river cruise passengers will increase from 0.5 million in phase 1 to 1.5 million by phase 3 while the number of international cruise terminals is likely to expand from 2 in phase 1 to 10 by phase 3 and river cruise terminals from 50 to 100.