India's River Cruise Tourism Rises, 51 New Circuits Planned By 2027

India's river cruise tourism sector is experiencing rapid growth, driven by robust policy support, enhanced infrastructure, and increasing interest from global operators. 

In 2024-25, cruise voyages on National Waterways rose to 443, marking a 19.4% increase from 371 in the previous year. This uptick highlights the growing appeal and viability of inland water-based tourism in India.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is spearheading transformative initiatives to position India as a global river cruise hub. One of the most ambitious of these is the Cruise Bharat Mission, which targets the development of 51 new river cruise circuits across 47 National Waterways in 14 states and 3 union territories by 2027.

A major highlight is the announcement of Viking Cruises' entry into India, with the launch of Viking Brahmaputra, an 80-guest river cruise vessel to be built indigenously by Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kolkata. 

Scheduled to begin operations in late 2027 on National Waterway-2 (Brahmaputra River), it marks a significant milestone in attracting foreign investment and showcasing India's cruise potential on the global stage.

Since 2013-14, when only five cruise vessels operated on three waterways, the sector has expanded to 25 vessels on 13 national waterways as of 2024-25. 

Noteworthy cruise circuits such as the Sundarbans (West Bengal), Brahmaputra (Assam), and Alappuzha (Kerala) are attracting growing numbers of tourists.

One of the sector's landmark achievements was the MV Ganga Vilas voyage, the world's longest river cruise, covering 3,200 km across five Indian states and Bangladesh. Flagged off by PM Modi in 2023, it now features in the Limca Book of Records. 

To further boost this growth, IWAI is working closely with state governments. Recent Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) have been signed with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir to develop cruise tourism on rivers such as the Narmada, Yamuna, Jhelum, Ravi, and Chenab. Major cruise terminals are also planned in Varanasi, Guwahati, Patna, and Kolkata, with four additional terminals in the Northeast at Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, and Guijan.

With a clear goal to triple the number of cruise passengers from 0.5 million to 1.5 million, the Cruise Bharat Mission is ushering in a new era of eco-friendly, culturally rich, and economically vibrant river tourism in India.