Luxury cruise liner calls at Kochi, after two years’ gap
KOCHI: International luxury cruise ship, MV Europa 2, made its maiden visit to the new cruise terminal Sagarika at Ernakulam wharf on Tuesday.
This is the first visit by an international cruise ship ater a gap of two years, necessitated by the restrictions imposed during COVID pandemic. This marks the beginning of the cruise season at Cochin Port and is expected to boost tourist arrivals in coming days.
The cruise liner is carrying 257 tourists including guests from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. The Malta-registered 225-m-long vessel has 372 crew members.
The arrival of the seven-deck vessel, which can accommodate up to 500 guests, marks the beginning of the cruise season in Kochi and also the maiden visit of a cruise ship at Sagarika. The ship docked at the port for a one-day visit and sailed onwards to Thailand on Tuesday.
Sagarika is the sole full-fledged international cruise terminal in the country, located at the port’s Ernakulam Wharf.
According to chairperson of Cochin Port Authority, M Beena, the government remains commited on promoting cruise tourism in a big way, though there is no financial gain for the Port Authority.
“The cruise business was the first fatality of the pandemic across the globe. Therefore, the revival of the cruise business augurs well for local economies since it is the most prolific segment of the tourism industry and generates significant employment,” she said.
Government initiative is supported by a slew of business promotions such as the extension of rationalised cruise tariff till September 2023 and easing of immigration procedure, Beena added.
Jacob Thomas of Marvel Tours said that the tourists from the cruise ship went sightseeing ater deboarding.
“Around 40 of them went sightseeing at Fort Kochi and Matancherry while more than 45 of them took a trip to Alappuzha. This time around no trip was made to Vaikom or Kumbalangi,” he said.
The remaining tourists went on rides in autorickshaws and backwater cruises.