Thirteen major international cruise liners would call at Mumbai this cruise season while a Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) delegation is trying to persuade top global passenger liners to include the metropolis in their itinerary.
"Already four top cruise liners have called at Mumbai port. The others scheduled to call include global majors like Cunard Lines, Seabourne Lines, Hapag Lloyd, Aida Cruisers and Resident Sea," MbPT Senior Asst Dock Manager (Business Development) Gautam Dey told PTI in Mumbai on Sunday.
A total of 17 passenger ships would be calling at the port this cruise season (October 2004-May 2005), one less than last year's cruise season.
The MbPT team has met various international cruise ship operators in Dubai and MbPT chairperson Rani Jhadav has requested them to include Mumbai Port in their itinerary for the cruise season of 2006, Dey said.
"Global operators prepare their list of port of call two years in advance so they can market the destinations to tourists," he said.
Other than Mumbai, the Indian cruise shipping string includes New Mangalore, Kochi, Tuticorin and Murmagao (Goa) ports.
Meanwhile, MbPT is planning to revamp its dedicated cruise terminal as it is the 'turnaround port' of the cruise shipping circuit of the country.
"The terminal has the facilities to handle 300 passengers at a time, but it is yet to be air-conditioned. The port is planning to revamp the terminal in line with international standards," an MbPT official said.
