Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has launched the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ to promote the country as a global hub for cruise tourism. The mission aims to double the cruise passenger traffic in the country by 2029.

The ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ will be implemented in three phases.

• The first phase will focus on research, planning, and building cruise alliances with neighboring countries.
• Phase 2 of the mission will focus on developing new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to attract high-potential cruise locations and circuits.
• The third phase will focus on integrating all cruise circuits across the Indian Subcontinent.
• The government has identified several key areas for the development of the cruise sector including infrastructure development, marketing and promotion, and capacity building.