New Delhi: Gujarat, which has around 1,600 kilometers of coastline, the longest among all states in the country, has yet to see development in cruise tourism. The state does not have a single project related to cruise tourism.

The Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to states and Union Territories for tourism infrastructure development under various schemes. However, according to the list of projects sanctioned under the Coastal Circuit and Cruise Project schemes, including Swadesh Darshan and the CFA Scheme, Gujarat does not have any ongoing projects.

This information came to light as Union Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat replied to a question about cruise tourism in the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded budget session of Parliament. It’s worth noting that Gujarat has couple of River cruise for an hour or more onboard experience at Sabarmati river and Narmada river(Statue of Unity). Gujarat has also a ro-ro ferry service connecting Surat to Hazira, but the State has no full-scale sea cruise service.

Here is the full reply from the Tourism Minister :

To position India as a preferred destination for cruise tourism globally, Ministry of Tourism has drafted a National Strategy for Cruise Tourism.

Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to States/UTs including Maharashtra for tourism infrastructure development under its different schemes. The list of projects sanctioned under Coastal Circuit and Cruise Project under Swadesh Darshan and CFA Scheme is given at Annexure.

As informed by Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways, various steps have been taken to popularize Cruise among masses.

The Government has taken initiatives to facilitate the visits of Cruise vessels and tourists as detailed below:

• For berthing, cruise vessel is given priority over cargo
• Rationalised cruise tariff has been
  • Port charges are recovered @ $0.085/GRT (fixed rate) and a nominal passenger head tax of $6 for first 12 hours of stay at berth.
  • Cruise ships are provided discounts ranging from 10% to 30% based on volume of their
• Ousting charges have been removed to attract cruise
• E-Visa and on-arrival visa facilities have been
• Single e-Landing Card has been introduced which is valid for all ports in cruise
• Cabotage has been waived for foreign cruise vessels. This relaxation allows foreign cruise ship to transport Indian nationals from one Indian Port to another Indian Port during its domestic
• In order to promote tourism, conditional IGST exemption has been approved for foreign going vessel when it converts to coastal run, subject to its re-conversion to foreign going vessel within six months.

ANNEXURE

List of Projects Sanctioned under the Scheme Assistance to Central Agencies for development of Cruise Terminals and related infrastructure (Rs. in Lakh)

List of Projects Sanctioned for Coastal Circuit and Cruise Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme

COASTAL CIRCUIT

(Amount in ₹ crore)