Vizag set to find a place in global cruise tourism map

Visakhapatnam Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarabananda Sonowal on Monday declared that Visakhapatnam is all set to become a cruise hub with projected handling of over nine lakh passengers by 2030.He was interacting with the media after inaugurating the Vizag International Cruise Terminal (VICT) and three other projects completed with a total cost of Rs 336.56 crore by Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA). He said going by the picturesque locations in and around the city, it is certainly poised to become an important place in the global cruise tourism map.

Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways V Shripad Naik, AP Minister for Industries Gudivada Amarnath, MPs MVV Satyanarayana, BV Satyavati and GVL Narasimha Rao, Mayor H Hari Venkata Kumari, VPA Chairman M Angamuthu and others attended the inaugural ceremony.

The cruise terminal will initially handle vessels carrying 2,000 passengers. It was built with world-class infrastructure at a cost of Rs 96.05 crore with the Ministry of Tourism funding Rs 38.5 crore.

Sonowal lauded the efforts of VPA in transforming Visakhapatnam into a financial and industrial hub. Stating that Andhra Pradesh is resource-rich, he said the State is contributing a lot for the nation’s growth. With massive mechanisation, VPA is striving hard to stop dust pollution by initiating measures for handling cargo in a clean environment.

“Green ports are crucial for achieving a blue economy. That’s why we are encouraging green hydrogen and green ammonia as fuel,” he said.

Under dynamic stewardship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said Sagarmala projects are being implemented with a massive outlay of Rs 5.6 lakh crore. He informed that AP has been sanctioned several projects envisaging an investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore.

Sonowal said 12 major ports in India after Modi became PM increased their capacity from 871 MTPA to 1681 MTPA in 2022. He said India has become the talking point in the advanced countries as it has emerged as fifth largest economy in nine years - a significant improvement from 10th position in 2014.

Cheers post-inauguration

Amarnath after inauguration said the cruise terminal will be a major landmark to promote Visakhapatnam into an international tourist spot. “This will certainly create a lot of employment opportunities as the tourist inflow will increase to see Buddhist sites, beaches, tribal areas and valleys,” he said.

Narasimha Rao said the cruise terminal construction on a war footing and its inauguration will certainly increase revenue from tourism and provide job opportunities to many. The city and its neighbouring areas will get a lot of international tourists once cruise ships are operated on a regular basis from the city, the Rajya Sabha member remarked.