India to Launch 51 River Cruise Circuits Across 14 States Under 'Cruise Bharat Mission'

· Cruise Bharat Mission aims to develop 51 river cruise circuits across 14 Indian states.

·  Focus on boosting river tourism and inland waterways infrastructure.

·  Major rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi to be part of the circuits.

India's Union government has launched its ambitious Cruise Bharat Mission, targeting 51 new river cruise circuits in 14 states and 3 Union Territories by 2027 a revolutionary drive to make India a world leader in river tourism.

This project, as part of the Maritime Amrit Kaal vision, aims to tap the enormous potential of India's inland waterways and support the local economy through sustainable infrastructure development and tourism ET Now. River cruise operations have increased from five ships on three waterways in 2013–14 to 25 ships on 13 national waterways in 2024–25, showing strong sectoral momentum.

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The mission will be executed in three major phases:

Phase 1 (Oct 2024 – Sept 2025): Developing feasibility studies, cruise partnership with neighboring nations, and upgrade of current cruise terminals and destination Travel Trade JournalCruise Industry News | Cruise News.

Phase 2 (Oct 2025 – Mar 2027): New cruise terminal construction, marinas, and enabling high-potential circuits in identified regions Travel Trade JournalETInfra.com.

Phase 3 (Apr 2027 – Mar 2029): Integration of cruise circuits throughout the Indian Subcontinent and complete deployment of infrastructure and hassle-free connectivity Travel Trade JournalFortune India.

Key performance objectives are:

• Growing sea cruise passengers from 0.5 million during Phase 1 to 1 million during Phase 3
• Growing river cruise passengers from 0.5 million to 1.5 million during Phase 3
• Increasing international cruise terminals from 2 to 10, river cruise terminals from 50 to 100, and marinas from 1 to 5
• Creating 400,000 jobs in the cruise industry by Phase 3.

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is actively developing exclusive cruise terminals at the major rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, and three terminals at Varanasi, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Patna and four in Northeast India by 2027. Viking Cruises' new Viking Brahmaputra, an 80-guest ship under construction in India, will sail on National Waterway 2 in late 2027, highlighting increased investor interest in India's river cruise industry.

With a growth of almost 20% per annum in river cruise sailings- from 371 in 2023–24 to 443 in 2024–25 India is set visibly to pursue a new trajectory towards maximizing its blue economy opportunity. By blending culture, ecology, regional heritage locations, and contemporary tourism infrastructure, the Cruise Bharat Mission holds out to revolutionize India's cruise tourism industry and induce inclusive growth in canal, river, and coastal areas.