New Delhi, Sep 30 : The government on Monday launched the 'Cruise Bharat Mission' to double cruise calls and passengers within five years while creating 4 lakh new jobs.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the aim is to tap the tremendous potential of cruise tourism in the country.

The 'Cruise Bharat Mission' will result in over 1.5 million river cruise passengers over more than 5,000 km of operational waterways in the country. It will be implemented in three phases, beginning October 1 this year and running up to March 31, 2029.

"The mission aims to create 4 lakhs employment in the cruise sector during this period," said Minister Sonowal.

Phase 1 will focus on conducting studies, master planning, and forming cruise alliances with neighbouring countries. It will also modernise existing cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to enhance the potential of cruise circuits.

According to the minister, Phase 2 will concentrate on developing new cruise terminals, marinas, and destinations to activate high-potential cruise locations and circuits. Finally, the third phase will focus on integrating all cruise circuits across the Indian subcontinent, marking the maturity of the cruise ecosystem while continuing the development of cruise terminals, marinas and destinations.

The aim is to increase sea cruise passengers from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1 million by Phase 3, with corresponding increases in sea cruise calls from 125 to 500.

"River cruise passengers will grow from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1.5 million by Phase 3. The number of international cruise terminals will expand from 2 in Phase 1 to 10 by Phase 3, while river cruise terminals will increase from 50 to 100," said the ministry.

Notably, marinas will grow from 1 to 5, and employment generated will rise from 0.1 million to 0.4 million by the final phase.

"Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is committed to harness the tremendous potential of the 'Blue Economy' of India. Cruise, with its tremendous potential in our country, has remained unexplored for long,' said Minister Sonowal. The earlier measures taken by the government have resulted in a remarkable increase of 400 per cent in passenger footfall on cruises since 2014.

/IANS