Govt to boost cruise tourism, says Minister

The Indian government is making all efforts to encourage and improve cruise tourism and is working with whole-of-the-sector approach, Tourism Minister G.K.  Reddy said. He was speaking at the thematic session of the 4th Tourism Working Group Meeting under G20 hosted by the Ministry of Tourism in Goa today.

The government is working to ensure that in the coming days anyone can enjoy the experience of cruise tourism, he said. We are coordinating with various Ministries, state governments, international organizations, stakeholders, and industry to bring about a revolution in cruise tourism, Reddy added. He emphasized the point that India has a coastal line of more than 7,500 km which we can explore through cruise tourism.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Samant said that Goa has immense potential and a robust ship building and cruise industry. He highlighted the fact that with a ‘Make in Goa for the Globe’ approach, the state is playing a pioneering role in cruise infrastructure development. He invited investments for strengthening the cruise tourism industry.

He also highlighted that a first of its kind marine cluster has been introduced to boost the marine industry in Goa.

Addressing the inaugural session, Reddy said in the past few months, G20 Tourism Working Group Meetings were held under India’s Presidency, where thought provoking and positive discussions took place. The first meeting was held at Rann of Kutch (Gujarat), the second at Siliguri (West Bengal), third meeting at Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir).