Visits since 1 Apr 2024
6,205,297
Visits since 1 Jan 2007 48,066,886
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With the departure of MV Voyager of the Seas from Kochi the luxury cruise season closed on a high note in Kerala. MV Voyager of the Seas, a Bahamas-flagged vessel that arrived here with 2,929 passengers and 1,230 crew members was the last to visit Kochi in this cruise season. MV Voyager of the Seas is the largest liner to have called at the Kochi port this season in terms of the number of passengers it had, though in terms of size, MV Queen Mary was the biggest.
Kochi is steadily emerging as a major destination for the more important luxury cruise operators across the world. The port here received more than 40 luxury liners this season and the next season is expected to be even better.
The Cochin Port Trust is all ready to commission the new cruise tourism handling facility and once the facility is ready, the conveyance of tourists arriving on luxury liners will be even smoother than what is now with all facilities coming under one roof.
Kochi is one of the ports identified by the Union Ministry of Shipping for improving cruise handling facilities and the Ministry has assured that disembarkation facilities at Kochi, Chennai, New Mangalore, Mumbai and Mormugao ports will be upgraded to meet international standards. New infrastructure like escalators, aerobridges, customs and immigration desks, baggage scanning, food courts, gaming zones and passport reading machines are also being set up at these ports.
