Gujarat launches Cruise Bharat Mission to boost maritime tourism

As part of the Union govt’s Cruise Bharat Mission, Gujarat has proposed three cruise circuits along the western coast covering Diu, Veraval, Porbandar, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Okha, and Padala Island, alongside the operational Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax (Roll-On/Roll-Off Passenger) service.

The govt said that the three clusters identified for cruise ship circuits are Padala Island–Rann of Kutch, Porbandar–Veraval–Diu, and Dwarka–Okha–Jamnagar. Each cluster is designed with tourism logic, ensuring that key religious, natural, and cultural destinations are within a 100km radius, making shore excursions efficient and attractive for cruise passengers, the govt said.

The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) conducted a day-long workshop with various stakeholders as a preliminary exercise of drafting the state’s cruise shipping policy. An official statement said that Gujarat became the first state to align with the Union government’s Cruise Bharat Mission, which aims at developing a globally competitive cruise tourism system. The workshop aimed at exploring various opportunities to leverage the state’s 2,340km coastline and navigable rivers like the Sabarmati and the Narmada.

An official statement said that Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary (ports and transport), spoke on Gujarat’s integrated approach, combining infrastructure, policy, and tourism development. In a panel discussion, the panellists shared their insights, spoke of existing challenges, and explored future growth avenues.