In a bid to position southern coastline and island territories as new hubs for cruise tourism, the Indian Port Association (IPA) preparing feasibility studies for Rameswaram and Kanyakumari and exploring options in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
This comes after Tamil Nadu Mercantile Board had identified seven to eight possible sites, including Rameswaram. The feasibility study will be fully funded by IPA. This was disclosed during a press conference chaired by Shipping secretary T K Ramachandran at a workshop-cum-roadshow on the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ recent initiatives, under the themes of ‘Projects, Schemes & Public-Private Partnerships’ and ‘Human Resource (Departmental & Institutional)’.
Talks are also underway with Southeast Asian nations to stitch together regional routes that could eventually link Indian ports with popular tourist circuits in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The IPA has already signed an MoU with Malaysia to study opportunities in the sector, with similar agreements expected soon with Jakarta and Bangkok, said Indian Port Association (IPA) managing director Vikas Narwal
The moves come in the wake of the first ASEAN–India Cruise Dialogue, hosted in Chennai earlier this year. Shipping Secretary T.K. Ramachandran underscored the sector’s potential to generate employment and deepen regional tourism flows. “We have begun with domestic coastal cruises and want to extend these to neighbouring countries. Cruise tourism offers an ideal way of sightseeing, and frameworks are now emerging to simplify procedures across borders,” he said.
Chennai Port Chairman Sunil Paliwal said Cordelia Cruises is assessing routes that could link the Andamans with Southeast Asia. Cordelia plans to add a new vessel next year, which will be home-ported on the east coast, with Chennai expected to be the hub. Existing vessels will continue to operate on the west coast. Paliwal added that the port is upgrading its cruise terminal and improving facilities at Jawahar and Bharathi Docks.
The roadshow for India Maritime Week 2025 here drew over 150 participants, including officials from central and state governments, industry bodies and EXIM trade representatives. The India Maritime Week 2025, scheduled for October in Mumbai, will bring together 1,00,000+ delegates from 100+ countries and is likely to generate over 10 Lakh crores investment opportunities.
Meanwhile, MAR-a-thon – India’s Maritime Hackathon” was held here under the Sagarmala Startup Innovation Initiative, it aims to foster maritime research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligning with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
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