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The Cochin Port Trust is setting up a new cruise terminal capable of handling 5,000 tourists at Ernakulam Wharf.
The estimated cost of construction is ₹25.72 crore and of this, ₹21.41 crore has been sanctioned by the Tourism Ministry, said AV Ramana, Chairman of the port.
Facilities
The facilities inside the terminal, having 2,253 sq metre area, will include passenger lounge, crew lounge, 30 immigration counters, eight custom clearance counters, seven security check counters, WiFi, tourist information centre, and parking area.
At present, cruise vessels having length up to 260 metres are handled at the BTP berth in the port and Samudrika, the cruise passenger facilitation centre. However, vessels of bigger size are handled at Ernakulam Wharf.
Being one of the prime cruise tourism destinations, Kochi has been getting around 40 cruise liners every year, bringing HNI tourists to Kerala.
Though the port is not gaining much from handling cruiselines due to heavily subsidised tariff, it has been highly beneficial to the local tourism trade and economy, as the average spending of a cruise tourist will be on an average $400 a day during local visits, Ramana said.
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