KOCHI: April will witness cruise tourism at its peak with a handful of luxury liners set to call at Kochi from Thursday to April 25. The Tourism Department officers are upbeat about this, as the industry was reeling under severe crisis due to the flood last year.
According to authorities, as many as 12 cruise liners carrying more than 10,000 foreign nationals would be arriving in Kochi this month. The city has also become one of the prime cruise destinations in India considering the number of cruises reaching here in the current season.
"MV Seabourn Ovation was in Kochi on Thursday with 525 tourists and 428 crew. On Friday, MV Amsterdam with 1,128 tourists and 613 crew members docked in Kochi. Similarly, Seven Seas Navigator with 477 tourists and 371 crew came to Kochi on Sunday. The tourists in the liners travel to Kochi City, Vaikom, Alappuzha, Chendamangalam and Kumbalanghi. The cruise season will peak in April and all arrangements have been made to welcome the visitors," said District Tourism Promotion Council Ernakulam secretary S Vijaykumar said.
The cruise liners to arrive in Kochi in April are Marella Discovery, Costa Luminosa, Costa Venezia, MSC Splendida, Celebrity Constellation, CMV Columbus, Silver Shadow, Albatros, Explorer of the Seas, MS Europa, Oceania Nautica and Aida Bella. The cruise season will come to an end with the cruise Spectrum of the Seas that will arrive on May 11. Most cruise liners spend a day in Kochi before heading to other destinations. Costa Venezia has a capacity to accommodate more than 5,000 tourists and it is expected that more than 3,000 tourists would be arriving in Kochi. Last season, 42 cruise ships had made Kochi the port of call bringing in 48,000 tourists.
"By the end of current cruise season in May, we expect 62 cruise liners to reach Kochi which is expected to be highest in India this time. With dedicated Cruise Terminal to be opened by the end of this year, more cruise liners will be arriving at Kochi from next season. The season commences in October and ends in May," a Tourism official said.
There have been 30 facilitation counters for immigration clearance at Samudrika once the cruise liners arrive in Kochi. Apart from it, Customs, Police, Tourism Police and CISF authorities are also posted at the port to assist the tourists.