KOCHI: With the West Asia conflict continuing to cast a shadow on Kerala’s plans of cruise tourism, the Cochin Port Authority has confirmed 64 port calls for the new season starting in October, of which 56 will be international vessels. However, most of these visits will be by Cordelia Empress, which has decided to make Kochi its home port.
After hosting over 50 port calls by international cruise vessels in 2024-25, the state received only 13 of these vessels in 2025-26. A mere 29 vessels visited Cochin Port in 2025-26, when operations were badly impacted by the crisis in Red Sea and West Asia.
“The Red Sea crisis and the West Asia conflict affected cruise tourism in 2025-26, when we received only a few calls from western countries. The picture is not rosy for 2026-27 either. Of the 56 confirmed international cruise calls, a majority will be by the Empress liner conducting regular services to Colombo and Maldives. The number of international services bringing tourists from the west will be less than 15,” a shipping company official said.
The local tourism industry is pinning its hope on the decision of Cordelia Cruises to make Kochi the home port for its cruise vessel Empress. Cordelia Empress, a 210m-long, 11-deck ship will start operating cruise services from Kochi to Maldives and Colombo from October 25.
Cordelia has offered two itineraries for Kochi. The Empress will launch a five-night international cruise connecting Male and Colombo from October. Departing every Sunday and returning Friday, this will connect tourists to two destinations and provide them two full days at sea. The second is a two-night weekend cruise where guests will be provided a weekend escape with dining and entertainment at sea. The cruise will depart from Kochi every Friday and return Sunday.
“Our vision has always been to make world-class cruising accessible to Indians,” said Jurgen Bailom, president and CEO of Cordelia Cruises. “The redeployment of Empress to Kochi and the launch of international itineraries to Sri Lanka and the Maldives marks a historic step in that direction. This expansion is not just about new routes; it is about giving Indian travellers the opportunity to experience the best of the Indian Ocean while enjoying the warmth of Indian hospitality on board,” he told TNIE.
“The benefit for Kochi will be the turnaround operation of Empress. As the voyage will start and end in Kochi, tourists will arrive in hordes to embark the vessel. Meanwhile, there are reports that Cordelia will launch another cruise connecting Kochi,” said a representative with a shipping company in Kochi.
Few calls in 2025-26
After hosting over 50 international port calls in 2024-25, the state received only 13 of these in 2025-26
A mere 29 vessels visited in 2025-26, when operations were impacted by the crisis in Red Sea and West Asia
