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The Rs 96-crore Vizag International Cruise Terminal (VICT) is ready for inauguration and expected to boost cruise tourism from the port city in Andhra Pradesh.
“We intend to attract international tourists and to place Vizag in the global cruise tourism map and VICT will go a long way in achieving this objective,’‘ M Angamuthu, Chairperson, Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), told BusinessLine.
VICT, developed jointly by VPA and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, can handle 2,000 passenger cruise ships. The port, in association with cruise lines and Chennai Port/Puducherry government, would make VICT a cruise port of call, Angamuthu said.
The terminal is expected to launch cruise services from November 2023; a passenger vessel to Andaman is expected to be berthed at VICT. The VPA is in touch with three cruise lines — Cordelia, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises.
The existing cruise packages from India are: Mumbai-High seas-Goa-Mumbai, Mumbai-Diu-Mumbai, Chennai-Trincomalee-Chennai, Mumbai to Venice, Mumbai to Male, Mumbai to Athens, Kolkata to Bangladesh, and Mumbai to Singapore.
VPA, in association with cruise lines, plans to add services to Chennai, Colombo/Trincomalee, Singapore and Bangladesh, besides exploring coastal cruises to Orissa and the Sunderbans.
“VICT offers world-class port facilities with efficiency of services and operations, and attractive tariff for the cruise. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has given certain directions on the tariff for cruise. VPA will further examine for possible discounts,’‘ Angamuthu said.
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