Why this nation is poised to become a major cruise destination
India must be busy with cruise ships. It has 7,500 kilometers of coastline, archipelagos such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, dozens of navigable rivers, spectacular landscapes and dense historical and cultural attractions.
Many travelers have concerns about travel logistics and health standards, which should make a cruise an attractive option to see India. However, the cruise market in India is worth only 1 percent of the world total.
Why? Whether or not cruise passengers want to visit, very few cruise ships sail there. However, this is about to change as the Cruise Bharat Mission launched by the Indian government in 2024 gains momentum.
Its big goals include 10 new ocean terminals, 100 river terminals and attracting more ships to India’s shores. It hopes to reach 500 ports by 2030, more than double the current number.
Goa, Mangaluru and Kochi in southwestern India are priority ports, although some international ships already call at more offbeat destinations such as Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
The key to it all is Mumbai, where the much-delayed new cruise terminal opened at the end of April. The ostentatious Mumbai terminal is designed to handle five ships at a time and carry one million passengers a year.
Currently cruise ships rarely stay in India, preferring to pass through Asia or on their way to Africa. Even discovery lines only occasionally offer India-focused cruises, as Silversea and Ponant have done in the past.
But Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are among the big players keen to increase passenger numbers.
India’s master plan relies only partially on international cruise visitors. The country’s expanding middle class is a huge market, and interest in cruising, previously seen as an option only for the very wealthy, is growing.
Major cruise lines are keen to tap into this lucrative market, as are some smaller luxury lines such as Ponant, which has signed a partnership with Indian travel service provider STIC Travel to boost bookings.
Meanwhile, local cruise line Cordelia Cruises has taken more than half a million Indians to sea on its redesigned Royal Caribbean ship Empress since its launch in 2021. It will soon purchase two more ships from Norwegian Cruise Line.
Cordelia homeports in Mumbai. Malaysian company Resort World Cruises also plans to move one of its ships to Mumbai seasonally starting from 2026. For now, the itineraries will be short, tasting trips that will visit Goa or Lakshadweep Islands or just spend the weekend at sea.
India’s many navigable rivers also offer potential. Numerous Indian river cruise companies such as Adventure River Cruise, Antara and Assam Bengal Navigation already exist, and international companies such as APT, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and Pandaw operate on the Ganges or Brahmaputra rivers.
And Viking announced the first river voyages in India. Viking BrahmaputraA new 80-passenger ship specially designed for the Brahmaputra River. Currently under construction and scheduled for release in late 2027 Viking Brahmaputra It will sail between Guwahati and Nimati Ghat in the northeastern state of Assam as part of Viking’s new 15-day itinerary. wonders of india.
With a destination this spectacular, we can only hope that it’s only a matter of time before more options emerge.
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Brian Johnston seemed destined to be a travel writer: an Irish man born in Nigeria, raised in Switzerland, lived in Britain and China, and now calls Australia home.
