In November 2022, Viking Mars was welcomed at Mumbai port to the tune of drums and drums. The Norwegian ship was the first to restart India’s cruise line tourism season (November-May), halted by the pandemic since March 2020. Many others after the luxury passenger ship. In the new year, the French vessel Le Champlain was the first ship to arrive in Indian ports – Mumbai, Goa and Kochi – en route to Galle and Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. The season also saw the arrival of Amera with the Bahamas flag on 11 January in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu after a gap of six years. Chennaiyin started their season on 10 January against Le Champlain.
One may recall that in February 2020, when people aboard the British-registered luxury cruise ship Diamond Princess were affected by COVID-19, commentators called it a “floating petri dish” and predicted the end of holidays at sea . The return of cruise liners has brought optimism to an industry battered by a prolonged shutdown. The first efforts to restart were launched at India’s first International Cruise Conference in May 2022 organized by the Mumbai port authorities and attended by various stakeholders including cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Holland America, MSC Cruises SA.
small beginnings
Although the revival has been slow and started only with small and medium-sized vessels (capacity between 200 and 400 people), it has sent waves of relief throughout the industry. “The return of international cruise ships to India brings new opportunities in the shipping and tourism sector. There has been an increase in the number of scheduled calls to India as compared to earlier years,” says Neville Malao, VP Cruise and Shipping Agency, Navy Cell of JM Baxi & Co. They plan to commission more than 50 ships this season till May 2023. “We can consider this as a positive growth in cruise tourism despite the ongoing COVID-19 scare in various countries,” he says.
Neville talks about making about 20 calls (a classic port call is 12 hours) to Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Agatti in the Lakshadweep Islands this season with domestic cruise line Cordelia. “Cruising is more affordable now with the arrival of Cordelia Cruises in India from September 2021. It is no longer considered elitist and is affordable across a wide spectrum of society,” he says.
Currently, Cordelia Cruises offers 3- to 5-day sailings to Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Agatti and is scheduled to launch Chennai-Sri Lanka in their itineraries from June to September. The cruise line, which is slated to begin operations in 2021, has “happily delivered over 200k customers so far.” “We host large celebrations for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, wedding parties and corporate events and offer the flexibility to choose from a variety of itineraries as well as categories,” Waterways Leisure Tourism President & CEO , whose MV Empress is now a household name, says. Indian Port.
Europa-2 was accorded a traditional welcome at the Sagarika International Cruise Terminal in Kochi. She was the first vessel to reach Kochi in 2022
“We are not back to pre-COVID-19 levels, but revival has begun,” said Mykato Safaris, a New Delhi-based luxury (shore excursion agent) inbound operator who also deals with cruise holidays. Michael Haider Ali says
Other tour operators, excited by the season’s itinerary, agree. Rani Bachani, executive director of Kochi-based Viceregal Travel and Resorts Ltd, is taking a group of 26 people to Greenland and Iceland on NCL (Norwegian cruise liner) in July. “This cruise starts and ends in Reykjavik and is not as common as other regular European ones, so it is expensive. The 10-night experience is priced at Rs 3 lakh, excluding airfare, visa and insurance.
“We want people to come back to cruise liner holidays, so we are offering great value from our side,” says Ratna Chadha, Tirun RCCL, representing the Royal Caribbean domestic market. She cites the value as ensuring health safety for passengers. “HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air filter) air conditioning systems on ships blow air into specific areas and prevent the circulation of germs; Our buffets are vastly spread; There are multiple shows in the theater and the seating is different,” says Ratna.
Nalini Gupta, GSA (General Sales Agent) Costa Cruises in India, agrees that people are now traveling aggressively and the company’s Costa Deliziosa will call at Mumbai on January 30. The ship, with a passenger capacity of about 2260 with 934 crew, left on 11 January for Savona, Italy.
MV Empress, Cordelia Cruises
Michael explains why only “small ships” are deployed in the first season. “Ships that are on a world cruise generally start their voyage in January. People either book for the entire three to four month period or do a segment. The ships that we get in India include Most of the cruise lines are those that sail to Asia during the winter and go to Europe from April to October. Cruise lines were hit hard by the pandemic. Not all of our neighboring countries were open so deployment of ships had to be carefully considered based on feasibility Was.
Neville says the uncertainty among cruise travelers about the ongoing COVID-19 situation in various countries has made cruise lines pitch only small to medium-sized ships for around-the-world cruises. “Most shipping companies are still deploying ships closer to their home port as the uncertainty of the pandemic remains,” says Nalini.
e-visa facility
Neville says the Indian government has already taken steps to upgrade port infrastructure at major ports, build a new cruise terminal at Mumbai port, rationalize port charges, remove clearance charges, provide priority berthing to cruise ships and e- Many such initiatives have been taken. visa facilities to promote tourism, “but some of the initiatives such as single window clearance system for cruise ships, standard clearance procedure at all ports, reduction in documentation requirements, fixed customs duty per passenger, waiver of priority duty at all ports Travel will increase further.
With the ease of transition and increasing demand, several new cruise lines such as Viking Ocean, Crystal Cruises and Virgin Cruises have planned to call their cruise ships in India. Cordelia Cruises is also set to launch “new itineraries catering to destinations near and far in Asia and the subcontinent,” Jurgen says.
Sagarika International Cruise Terminal in Kochi
popular destination
Mangalore is emerging as a popular port as per the passengers’ feedback. “Although it has a small cruise terminal, it is functional; We are using Karnataka tourism buses and despite the lack of professional guides, we use teachers, senior students and professors to show us the area. The reports are encouraging,” says Michael. He says Mumbai and Kochi are more popular than Chennai port. “It suffers from poor infrastructure, non-availability of professional guides and a limited number of sightseeing options.” Michael’s, on the other hand, offers travelers a choice of more than 15 different tours, all conducted by articulate and knowledgeable guides, the impressive majority of whom are women.
“Kochi is the only port in India to have two world class cruise terminals – Samudrika and Sagarika. To provide an experience to passengers from the time they disembark, Cochin Port proposes to develop ‘Kochi Haat’, which will allow local vendors to sell souvenirs, ethnic products, apparel, Ayurvedic products, spices, etc.” says Vipin R Menoth, Traffic Manager, Cochin Port Authority.
Sejo Jose, MD, Kochi-based Marvel Tours, says another COVID-19 fallout is that 80% of travelers prefer to use organized tours with cruise liner partners. “It is for security but it harms the unorganized market like auto rickshaws and individual shops.”
Sheela K Chittilappilly who loves cruises for their “slow pace and special location”, has taken six cruises so far and is looking forward to her trip to Alaska in July. An experienced traveler, he is not worried about the security measures on board, believing that it is of the highest level.
Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030)
In February 2021, the Government of India launched the Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030) to make India the cruise development hub of the world. One of its objectives to develop India as a cruise destination is to increase the number of Indian cruises from 150 to 1,000 in five years. “Some of the major initiatives Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP) for Cruise Ships at all Major Ports, Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP) for all foreign flag vessels carrying passengers at Ports of India, without obtaining a license from the Directorate General of Shipping by February 2024 (SOP). , A rational composite tariff for cruise ships at all major ports, walk-in berthing or preferential berthing for cruise ships and financial assistance to ports for construction of cruise terminals,” says Vipin R Mennath, traffic manager, Cochin Port.
MV Ganga Vilas
world’s longest river cruise
Organized by Antara Cruises, the 51-day long journey along the banks of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra began. From Kashi (Uttar Pradesh) to Dibrugarh (Assam) via Sundarbans and Bangladesh, and will sail across 27 small rivers, five states and two countries.