Our Bureau
New Delhi
The River cruise tourism sector in India has been soaring high in the past few years. The sector has experienced growth at a rapid rate which is majorly happening on the back of robust policy support, enhanced infrastructure, and increasing interest from global operators. The business has grown higher in 2024-25 taking a 19.4% jump over last fiscal year.
As per the reports, in the year 2024-25, the river cruise voyages on National Waterways had risen to 443. The sector saw a 19.4% surge as in the previous year (2023-24) the cruise voyages were around 371. This jump highlights the growing appeal and viability of inland water-based tourism in the country.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is making heavy efforts to spread awareness around India’s river cruise tourism. They are working towards making sure that the country strives towards being a global leader in river cruise hubs. Amongst these initiatives is the Cruise Bharat Mission which is one of the most ambitious projects by IWAI.
The Cruise Bharat Mission is going to triple the number of cruise passengers from 0.5 million to 1.5 million. They will also be ensuring the development of 51 new river cruise circuits across 47 National Waterways in 14 states and 3 union territories of India by 2027 and ushering in a new era of eco-friendly, culturally rich, and economically vibrant river tourism in India.
The river cruise sector was very small a decade ago when in the year 2013-14 only five cruise vessels operated on three waterways. Now the sector has expanded and as of last year (2024-25), 25 vessels on 13 national waterways in India. Major cruise circuits which aid the growing numbers of tourists are Sundarbans to West Bengal, Brahmaputra to Assam, and Alappuzha in Kerala.
