From the toasty, golden beaches of the Caribbean, to the glamorous ports of call in the Mediterranean blue seas, and the freezing, remote shores of Antartica... cruise destinations around the world are attracting droves of Indian visitors.
Rebounding from the lull imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, cruise tourism in India grew 10 per cent year-on-year during financial year 2023-24, driven largely by an increase in foreign ship arrivals. However, the geopolitical crisis that has disrupted global freight trade on the Red Sea shipping route has cast its shadow on the cruise industry too.
A few of the planned voyages last season and some in the coming months were shelved as cruise operators steer away from the Suez canal and the Red Sea. In January, Royal Caribbean and MSC, among other operators, cancelled cruises following attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to media reports.
With fewer international cruise ships visiting India, domestic cruises are witnessing an uptick in demand.
From Mumbai, the popular cruise sectors in the past season included Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai (3 nights); Mumbai-High seas-Mumbai (2 nights); Mumbai-Lakshadweep-Mumbai (4 nights); Mumbai-Goa-Lakshadweep-Mumbai (5 nights); and Mumbai-Kochi-Lakshadweep-Mumbai (5 nights).
Mumbai Port Authority Chairman Rajiv Jalota says a major reason for the increase in domestic cruise passenger traffic last season is the availability of two ‘home ported ships’ — a home port is where a cruise ship begins or ends its journey, as against a ‘point of call’, which is a transit point in a cruise itinerary. “Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the sailing itineraries are longer today, the cruise ships have higher capacity and are seeing better occupancy,” he says.
Under Jalota’s watch, a new cruise terminal is being readied at Mumbai port, with measures underway to improve the associated infrastructure and processes.
The new terminal is being built through a public-private partnership with the JM Baxi Group, which acts as shipping agent to foreign vessels. In the first phase, the terminal will be readied by the year-end; and in the second phase, retail stores and restaurants will be added by April 2025.
Passenger services
“Our aim is to attract bigger ships that can cater to both domestic and international itineraries. We are providing the infrastructure and facilities. The new cruise terminal in Mumbai should be fully operational this winter. There will be separate floors for embarkation and disembarkation, and we will increase handling capacity. Similarly a new terminal at Mormugao port in Goa is expected to be completed this winter,” Jalota says.
Port authorities have requested for additional staff at the immigration bureau and a fast-track arrival processing facility in Mumbai and other major cruise calling ports.
Operators share the optimism for growth in the domestic cruise market. “Our plans for the upcoming season include enhancing our customer experience, expanding our marketing efforts, and continuing to grow our presence in the Indian market. We remain optimistic about our growth prospects for FY 2025. We plan to add new itineraries from Chennai in the summer of 2025, which will be a significant highlight,” says Jurgen Bailom, President and CEO, Cordelia Cruises.
Passengers from tier II and III towns are fuelling the demand for domestic cruises, even as issues like visa delays for European countries are chipping away the international cruise business. “We did extremely well last season. Demand was phenomenal,” says Nalini Gupta, managing director of Lotus Destinations, the general sales agent for Italian company Costa Cruises in India.
Last season the company’s ship ‘Costa Serena’ sailed in domestic waters with 2- to 5-day itineraries covering Goa, Kochi and Lakshadweep. This year, while Costa Cruises will not be home porting a vessel in India, Gupta remains confident that their ships will sail again in the region.
“We hope to see a Costa cruise ship and other international cruise liners home port in India. Hopefully, in the coming future,” Gupta says.
Foreign liner visits
Foreign cruise ships calling at Indian ports are primarily of two kinds — those on round-the-world trips; and those that sail in Europe in the summer and move to warmer waters in Asia during winters.
“There will be fewer calls by international cruise liners in India, compared to the last few years, but some are still coming via the longer Cape of Good Hope route,” says Dhruv Kotak, managing director of JM Baxi Group.
“Interest in India among foreign cruise companies is high. If the Red Sea crisis had not happened we would have seen a massive surge in ship visits,” Kotak adds.