`A Policy For Cruise Tourism Is Being Formulated’

Rani Jadhav, chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, is taking the Indian cruise segment by surprise with a slew of plans and funds to put India on the international cruising circuit, informs Bhisham Mansukhani

What are the strengths of the Indian cruise sector?

The ports of Mumbai, Kochi and Goa. have been on the international cruise map for 40 years now. Our ports enjoy certain intrinsic advantages. They are all weather ports and meet all requirements in terms of berth space.

How is the outbound cruise tourism segment evolving?

In excess of 40,000 Indians cruised abroad in destination across South East Asia, The Mediterranean and Caribbean in 2003. Cruise tourism is not yet the biggest proposition but is certainly visible.

What does the Indian government plan to do to boost this sector?

The Indian government has decided to recognise cruise tourism as a special segment and have plans for upgradation of existing facilities at all terminals and amending the rules and regulations to make the sector more attractive and do away with bottlenecks. To promote the cruise sector collectively, a body comprising all the key players including state tourism boards, tour operators and cruise companies has also been constituted. The government of India, in fact is currently in the process of formulating and finalising a policy for cruise development in the country and to that end, we had a workshop in Mumbai which was an interactive session with all the stakeholders in February. International speakers on this sector have also been flown down to speak on the subject in the past. These are some of the avenues being explored. There is the possibility of river cruises on the Brahmaputra and the Ganga . Options along the east coast of India are also being explored.

Are there any international developments with regard to India?

Star Cruises will be having one of their cruises out of an Indian port which means that Indians will not have to fly to a port of call abroad to board the cruise liner. There are some local issues that need to be sorted out in certain areas like tax but they are still looking at commencement by October.

What are the developments on the ground?

The Mumbai Port is multipurpose and our main business is the handling of cargo but cruise tourism is an allied activity that we attach equal importance to and we have refurbished our cruise terminal recently so the basic facilities are in place. Customs, immigrations, a communications centre and shopping mall have also been developed. We are looking at a single window at all cruise terminals to deal with documentation for incoming passengers. We have a nodal point at every terminal that can be approached for all services that one requires. Immigration now can take as little as 30 minutes.

Is there also a process of interaction between the government and the industry?

India is not new to cruise tourism so we have agents and handlers who are involved in this activity and they do keep themselves abreast of international trends. We ourselves invite them to all the interactions.

What is your relationship with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) in this regard?

There is a good partnership between the MoT, the Ministry of Ports and the state tourism departments for promotional activities. There is a mechanism that channels the collective efforts of these three entities, namely the Common Marketing Apparatus (CMA). The Ministry of Tourism is also assisting the port authorities to develop cruise terminal infrastructure through a scheme under which the MOT will provide up to Rs 10 crore or 25 per cent of the cost of the project.

Do you at any point, envisage launching a cruise service yourself?

We will concentrate on providing service. We will not be providing cruise liners. Our objective is to create the most conducive environment for the growth of the Indian cruise market. Apart from Mumbai and Goa, Kochi and New Mangalore are looking very promising. We are looking to probably add a few more destinations like Lakshadweep. We have been in dialogue with the administrators on the ground regarding infrastructure development.

What is your overall budget for the current calendar year?

Our overall annual budget for port development is Rs 450 crore and developing the cruise segment is just part of it. Now, following the upgradation of the port terminals, if we can come up with more areas of development to invest into, we have the funds available.