Ganga is now one of the six best river cruises in the world

Cruising down the magnificent Ganges criss-crossing themajestic Himalayas, interspersed with verdant terrains and vignettes of theholy city of Moksha on the way, could well be an experience to remember.

What if this cruise figures right up there among the verybest in the world and a must one to go for along with the likes of the Volga orthe Danube?

Check this out. Reputed international publication Conde NastTraveller has put the Ganga cruise on its checklist as one of the top six rivercruises to take in 2017.

The global luxury and lifestyle magazine has placed theluxury cruise vessel Ganges Voyager II, which sails on the Ganga from Kolkatato Varanasi, in the league of cruises on the Mekong and the Yangtze in China,the Amazon in South America, the Volga in Russia and the Irrawaddy in Myanmar.

Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari, who dreams making India a global hotspot for cruise tourism -- be itriver or sea -- says massive work is under way on the Ganges, be it for cruisetourism or cargo transport, and a 'nirmal and aviral Ganga' will take India tothe path of development.

"We are working on a massive scale to make India aglobal hotspot in tourism. We have received offers from Dubai's Sultan todevelop cruise tourism here," Gadkari told PTI.

Conde Nast's endorsement of the Ganga as a cruisedestination is a shot in the arm for river tourism in the country.

"Massive work worth Rs 5,000 crore is under way todevelop various projects on the Ganga with the World Bank assistance, includingdevelopment of multi-modal hubs," Gadkari said.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India, a body under theMinistry of Shipping, is facilitating cruise operations on National Waterways-1(river Ganga) from Kolkata to Varanasi in collaboration with private cruiseoperators.

The facilities, provided by the IWAI, include navigationaids, including night navigation facility, embarking and disembarking atdesignated locations, facilitating expeditious crossing of the FarakkaNavigation Lock, pilotage, and assistance in distress.

The National Waterway NW-1 from Varanasi to Haldia is beingdeveloped by the IWAI, under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).

In addition to becoming one of the principal cargo movementroutes in India, this stretch on NW-1 has good potential for river cruisetourism.

The minister said that as many as 168 cruises had came tomajor ports last year and a terminal in Mumbai is being constructed at a costof Rs 800 crore.

Also, a policy is in the works to make India a globaldestination for cruise shipping and work is in progress to identify suchcircuits.

Five circuits each are being identified for internationaland domestic cruise services and a report is likely by this month.

"Endowed with a sprawling 7,500 km of coastline, wehave taken steps in a big way to promote cruise tour, which includes relaxationof policies and developing infrastructure," he said.

So far, Indians had been travelling to South-East Asia, theMediterranean and the Caribbean to experience the cruise, but for the firsttime, Europe's key player Costa Cruises launched Costa neoClassica in Indiarecently, which has confirmed seven voyages.

A task force to promote cruise tourism in the country hasbeen constituted under the chairmanship of the tourism secretary, with the shippingsecretary as co-chairman.

The idea is to put India on the global cruise map, both foroceans and rivers, Gadkari said, adding that it comes with a huge jobpotential. India saw 1.76 lakh cruise passengers in 2016-17, a merely 0.5 percent of the global pie.

Domestic cruise passengers are estimated to grow to 1.5million by 2031-32.

Of the 12 major ports, only five -- Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, NewMangalore and Chennai -- have facilities to berth international cruise ships.

One of the circuits identified so far is "coastalcircuit" for development of coastal tourism infrastructure, an officialsaid.

The government is developing a modern 2 lakh square feetterminal in Mumbai to make it a landmark destination, which will haveinfrastructure to accommodate cruise ships with size for 4,000 passengers.

The project includes hospitality, retail, shopping,restaurants and will allow general visitors during non-cruise seasons.

Apart from its huge coastline, India has the geographicaladvantage as it is strategically located between the Mediterranean and China,he said.

Recently, the Mumbai Port Trust, which has a dedicated berthfor cruise tourism, hosted its largest passenger ship Genting Dream with 1,900passengers.

Listing out the policy initiatives to promote cruiseshipping, the minister said ships are now allowed to stay for three days, upfrom the earlier 24 hours, and rules have been simplified to attract morevessels.

The government has allowed foreign flag vessels carryingpassengers to call at Indian ports without securing a licence from the directorgeneral of shipping till February 5, 2024.

Also, major ports will offer a minimum of 30 per cent rebateacross the board on all vessel-related charges for cruise shipping and not levyany priority fee.

On land excursions, an average tourist spends USD 70-100 perday and with a cruise ship of 3,000 capacity.

Also, average employment on a cruise ship, as per studies,is one job for 3-4 passengers, which translates into a boost for recruitment aswell.