A total of 1,62,660 cruise passengers visited India during 2017-18, at six ports — Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata, New Mangalore and Mormugao. During the same period, around 139 cruise ships called at these six ports.
The information which was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, KJ Alphons, in the Lok Sabha.
For the development of Cruise Terminals related infrastructure in Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Tourism Ministry has sanctioned projects worth ₹106.39 crore under the scheme for ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’, the Minister said.
To another question, the Minister said the Indo Nepal Tourism Forum will be set up with representation from the government and the private sector for promotion of tourism in both the countries. The decision was taken at the second meeting of tourism Joint Working Group (JWG) between India and Nepal which took place on July 6.
At the meeting it was also decided to officially recognise Ramayana Circuit and Buddhist Circuit for joint promotions through common branding and marketing exercises, he said.
Also, under the Prashad (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme, 26 religious cities/sites in 19 States have been identified for development. Some of these sites include Dwarka, Gaya, Deogarh, Puri and Amritsar.