We are eagerly waiting to welcome the cruise between Puducherry and Visakhapatnam via Chennai, says Visakhapatnam Port Authority Secretary T. Venugopal
| Photo Credit: File photo
The Visakhapatnam-Chennai-Puducherry Cordelia Cruise tourism project is pending as it has to get clearance from the Puducherry government. A final decision is likely to be taken by February 28 to make the necessary arrangements. If this is delayed, the operators are planning to consider alternative venues.
This was revealed in an internal virtual meeting recently held by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department with Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd. (Cordelia Cruises) president and CEO Jurgen Bailom along with key officials from the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) and the Puducherry government.
The meeting was convened to facilitate the visit of the Cordelia Cruise to the dedicated terminal at the VPA port, here, probably on July 2 (2025), and to resolve the pending issues with the Puducherry administration.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday (February 25), VPA Secretary T. Venugopal, who attended the meeting, said that the representatives of the Puducherry government have assured that all the permissions will be granted by February 28.
“From our VPA side, everything is cleared. We are eagerly waiting to welcome the cruise between Puducherry and Visakhapatnam via Chennai. The scheduled sailing dates have also been announced. The first one will start on July 2. The scheduled dates are July 9 and 16. A passenger ticket price will be around ₹18,000. Vizag Port has made all the necessary preparations, the terminal is fully equipped to receive cruise ships and facilitate the necessary permissions and clearances from the authorities,” Mr. Venugopal said.
He said that the Union Ministry of Ports & Waterways is very optimistic about developing port-based tourism projects, and the cruise terminal at Vizag Port is the largest and only dedicated terminal in the country so far. Besides, ports in Goa and Mumbai are also developing cruise terminals which are at various stages of construction.
Mr. Venugopal said that cruise operators, including Jurgen Bailom, have raised some suggestions with the governments, including the A.P. Government, regarding development of better local tourist destinations that attract national and international tourists with proper facilities for one or two-day excursions of cruise passengers. He said that these facilities are very important in cruise tourism.
The VPA also recognised the importance of better local tourism routes while participating in the 32nd edition of SATTE (South Asia Travel and Tourism Exhibition) held in New Delhi under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Tourism with the theme “Tourism 2025: Fostering Global Collaboration for Mutual Growth.” A total of 58 countries and 28 State tourism departments participated in the event. Representatives from cruise lines such as Cordelia Cruises, Royal Carribean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and GSA Costa Cruise India have attended.
“Discussions on the occasion focused on identifying anchoring opportunities that can transform selected coastal ports like our Visakhapatnam into key cruise tourism hubs, thereby contributing to regional economic growth and enhancing maritime connectivity. Stakeholders welcomed the launch of the Cruise Bharat Mission to double cruise calls and passengers within five years. They urged governments to operate more flights from port cities to other cities to meet the demand of 2,500 to 3,000 cruise passengers per day in the future,” Mr. Venugopal said.
Published – February 26, 2025 12:39 am IST