Vasan sees big potential for cruise shipping

The number of cruise ships which called at Indian ports rose to 129 in 2010-11, from 55 in 2003-04, while the number of cruise passengers have gone up to 1,00,000 in 2010-11 from 34,372 in 2003-04, minister of shipping V K Vasan said in Kochi today.

Addressing a meeting of the consultative committee of the ministry of shipping, Vasan said, with support from the ministry of shipping and incentives from the ministry of tourism, cruise shipping will emerge as a money spinner for the economy.

''Cruise shipping is an important and growing component of the leisure industry worldwide. It contributes directly and indirectly to the economy of the country concerned. This sector has a number of spin-off effects in service sector,'' he said.

Besides generating revenue from passenger fares, port charges, etc, cruise shipping also promotes many industries like handicraft, guide service and catering, etc, and earns valuable foreign exchange for the country, he pointed out.

However, he said cruise tourism should be made more affordable and services increased in order to realise its full potential.

He said with near saturation in world's most favorite cruising areas like the Caribbean, Mediterranean, India has a tremendous opportunity to position herself as a new destination for cruise tourism. Despite inherent advantages and tremendous potential of 'cruise shipping' sector, the country has not realised its full potential compared to countries in Latin America and South East Asia in this segment, he added.