Sonowal said measures like guaranteed berths to cruise ships encourage cruise operations. Volume discounts in cruise tariff up to 30% for domestic cruise ships and licensee fee waivers for foreign cruise vessels have already improved prospects. “As a result of these initiatives, from 102 cruise calls and 84,000 passengers handled in 2013-14, we went up to 227 calls and 4,71,988 passengers during 2022-23,” he said, while adding that river cruise tourism has also seen a 180% rise in operations during the last nine years.
