The coastal district’s luxury cruise tourism recovery after the pandemic is facing a new challenge due to the Red Sea crisis, according to tourism operators. The current cruise season, which began in Nov, shows only seven luxury cruise vessels scheduled to dock at Mangaluru Port.
Industry sources indicate that four cruise ships previously scheduled for Mangaluru have withdrawn their plans this season. Local cruise ship tour operators express concern about potential revenue losses for the tourism industry due to reduced arrivals.
“This year, we had expected more than 20 cruise ships to arrive at Mangaluru port. However, only seven have now planned to visit our coastal city. Last season, there were a total of nine ships with close to 5,000 passengers,” said a cruise tour operator, who has been in service for more than a decade.
According to the season’s schedule, Silver Whisper will be the first luxury cruise to arrive on Dec 10, travelling from Mumbai. The final vessel is set to arrive on May 9, 2025. All seven ships will remain at Mangaluru port for just one day, failing to fulfil the long-desired goal of overnight stays.
“During the pre-pandemic days, the Mangaluru port welcomed an average of 25 ships with a total of 25,000 plus passengers. It did start to improve gradually post-pandemic but has again hit due to the ongoing Red Sea crisis,” said another operator, who did not want to be named.
The operator explained that each cruise ship generates a turnover of approximately $50,000 daily in Mangaluru. “The passengers provide job opportunities to local guides, most of them being students, vehicle operators, and the food and beverage industry. They also buy souvenirs, cashew nuts, clothes and other local products. The reduction in the
number of cruise ships will snatch away opportunities from the local economy,” the operator added.
A Mangalore Port official revealed that besides the Red Sea situation, insufficient bookings have led some cruise ships to cancel their operations, as they require minimum passenger numbers to operate profitably.