HYDERABAD: In a bid to promote coastal tourism, Gujarat government is contemplating to introduce a cruise liner service between Mumbai, the capital of west Indian state Maharashtra and Porbandar in west Indian state Gujarat by the end of this year, a senior Tourism department official said.
The plan is to introduce a cruise ship, to be run by a private operator, which will take tourists from Mumbai to Porbandar and Kutch as part of a 3-day package, Gujarat principal secretary (Tourism and Civil Aviation) Vipul Mittra told reporters here.
“We are hopeful that by this winter it (cruise ship connectivity) will start. Gujarat has the longest coastline of 1,600 km. We have identified 17 beaches along the coastline and our focus is to develop coastal tourism in these places and make Gujarat a coastal tourism destination,” he said.
India’s Planning Commission chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has sanctioned Rs 120 crore to develop coastal tourism in Gujarat and the funds will be utilized to create on-shore facilities and related activities, Mittra said.
As part of the policy to promote cruise tourism, cruise vessels will be given berthing priority and no port fee will be collected from cruise liners for docking at the state’s ports, he said. -PTI
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
