With new liners, a state-of-the-art terminal, and aspirations for international cruises, Visakhapatnam embarks on its journey to become a cruise tourism hub—despite mounting concerns.

To promote cruise tourism in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, the Andhra Pradesh tourism department is collaborating with the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA). The launch of a new cruise liner service from Chennai that will connect Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Puducherry has greatly accelerated this effort. On July 2, the first ship of three planned cruises will dock in Vizag, further solidifying Andhra Pradesh as a premier cruise destination.

The opening of the Visakhapatnam International Cruise Terminal (VICT) last year is a noteworthy accomplishment in this respect. Built with an investment of about 100 crore, this port is the first of its kind on the east coast of India and serves the region from Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal. The port is anticipated to play a significant role in the area's attempts to establish Visakhapatnam as a major cruise tourism destination.

The president of the Andhra Tours and Travels Association is among the local industry professionals who have voiced confidence over the state's potential for cruise tourism. Regular cruise services to international locations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Colombo are seen to be essential for increasing inbound travel to the region. It is anticipated that these services would attract international visitors, boosting the local economy and growing the travel industry.

Concerns exist, though, about how the port is promoting domestic cruise travel. The port officials haven't taken any proactive steps to properly use the cruise tourist potential, even though the terminal was opened more than a year ago. Travel operators have stressed that a more concerted effort from public and private partners would be needed to draw bigger cruise lines to the area.

The procedure of drawing in big cruise ships is one of the difficulties in growing cruise tourism. Large cruise ships often move to other locations after a few months, and the process of getting big boats in may be complicated, according to travel experts. Therefore, to create long-term, consistent cruise services that would place Visakhapatnam on the world cruise map, consistent work and cooperation are required.