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COVER STORYin South Asian cruises, suggesting ample scope in thedomain. One of the major hurdles to deal with in the industryis the lack of infrastructure, required in order tofacilitate the influx of cruise vessels. INCLA has beenformed by leading cruise liners and other stakeholdersfrom around the globe with the objective to create aroadmap for the development of the cruise sector inIndia and also to highlight various issues being facedby the Indian cruise industry, initiate reforms requiredto address the said issues and ensure that reforms areimplemented effectively at the ground level. A detailedSOP document is also available, aided by the Ministryof Shipping which is very coherent. This is also alliedwith quarterly policy and monitoring meetings forcruise tourism.Mansukh MandaviyaMinister of state for ShippingIn an exclusive interview with the HonourableMinister of state for Shipping, Shri. MansukhMandaviya; he expressed his thoughts about the cruisepotential in India along with the government’s visionfor its expansion. A vast majority of Indians, are optingfor cruise holidays in destinations like Singapore,Maldives, Thailand and the like. Cruising is now gainingpopularity in India while the government is lookingforward towards promoting the same. The potentialof inland waterways is realized with the introductionof river cruises on the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.Uniworld, Pandaw and Avalon are the most popularcruise lines on the Ganges River in India, while linesincluding Saga Cruises, International Expeditions andFred River Cruises service the Brahmaputra River.‘’Cruise tourism can become a major source ofemployment because of its labour-intensive nature.Shri Mandaviya remarked that, today 2.30 lakh Indianseafarers are serving in the global shipping industry’’.Therefore, the Centre is facilitating growth in this sectorby creating synergy between the various stakeholdersof the industry like cruise companies, tour operatorsimmigration and customs department and so on, saidthe Minister. This is also complimented by the variouscruise circuits that are being devised to amplify theJanuary 2020 | Littoral Wind | 13development. The ministry of shipping has plans toalso focus on the development of maritime heritage inthe country, and is planning to construct a museum atevery port beginning with Kolkata. This museum will bean incentive in providing the tourists the infotainmentwhile they enjoy their cruising experience. Earlier thismonth, the Road Transport, Highways and ShippingMinister Shri .Nitin Gadkari recently laid the foundationstone for construction of a passenger jetty at KanhojiAngre Island in the presence of Heavy Industries &Public Enterprises Minister Anant Geete. The projectis being implemented by the Mumbai Port Trust (Mbpt)and was initiated by the former union minister of statefor shipping; Milind Deora. “The Mumbai Port Trustwill invest Rs 47 crore to develop the Kanhoji AngreLighthouse as a tourist destination,” Shri Gadkari said.He added that, Rs 17 crore will be spent for building ajetty, while the balance will go towards tourist facilitieson the island, which will include restaurants, campsites, accommodation rooms and up gradation of thefort. The union minister had said a few days ago thathis ministry plans to throw open over 300 lighthousesacross the country for tourism. These are some of thefew initiatives among many that the shipping ministryenvisions in order to enable blooming of the industry.Shri Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Bombay Port Trust& Chairman, Indian Ports Association, said: “There hasbeen a strategic shift in thinking regarding utilizationof ports in India. We are planning to transform portsto support cruise tourism. The government is workingvery closely and several reforms have been taken includingreduction of tariffs at five ports Mumbai, Goa,New Mangalore, Kochi and Chennai”.“ Cruise tourism can becomea major source of employmentbecause of its labour- intensivenature. Shri Mandaviyaremarked that, today 2.30lakh Indian seafarers areserving in the global shippingindustry. ’’“The ministry has also recently resolved the issuesregarding Cabotage laws and will look at the charter ofdemands from industry stakeholders to resolve themat the earliest to promote cruise tourism,” said ShriNitin Gadkari, Honorable Minister of Road Transport