Task force to promote cruise tourism: Govt

With the country having a vast coastline, the government has instituted a task force to promote India as a destination for cruise tourism, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
"The Task Force comprises members from central ministries, state governments, various port trusts and private sector," Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply.
The task force will look at various aspects, including developing infrastructure, simplifying procedures, increasing marketing and communication activities and incentives and commissions.
To an another query, Sharma said the maiden 'Maritime India Summit, 2016 (MIS-2016)' was organized by the Ministry of Shipping in Mumbai from April 14 to 16 this year with the objective of creating awareness of the untapped potential of Indian maritime sector and showcase investment opportunities.

The focus was on presenting India as an attractive investment destination and encourage investment in Indian maritime Sector, the minister added.
During the period between FY10 and FY14, there has been a 14 per cent decline in the number of tourists opting for cruise tours in the country, a trend the government wants to reverse.
In FY10, there were 55,000 domestic and 1.35 lakh foreign tourists who boarded cruise ships, which dropped to 45,000 and 70,000, respectively, in FY14.