Cruise Bharat Mission Charts 51 New Circuits Across India By 2027, River Infrastructure Under Development

The Union Government has announced plans to launch 51 new cruise circuits across 14 states and three Union Territories under the Cruise Bharat Mission by 2027, according to an official statement issued on Monday (21 July).

A major milestone for the sector was recently marked when Viking Cruises, a prominent global cruise line has revealed its entry into the Indian market with Viking Brahmaputra, an 80 passenger luxury vessel.

Set to begin operations in late 2027, the cruise will operate on National Waterway-2, the Brahmaputra river. The vessel will be indigenously built by Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kolkata, signalling strong international interest and growing domestic capabilities.

India’s inland cruise sector has seen consistent momentum. The number of river cruise voyages increased from 371 in 2023–24 to 443 in 2024–25, reflecting a 19.4 per cent growth.

The expansion is also visible in the fleet. From a modest five vessels on three waterways in 2013–14, there are now 25 vessels navigating 13 national waterways in 2024–25.

To support this rising demand, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is actively developing infrastructure along major rivers.

Dedicated cruise terminals are in the works for Varanasi, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Patna. Additionally, four more cruise terminals are planned in the northeast at Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, and Guijan by 2027.

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