Though more cruise ships are calling at the Kochi port, keeping the cash registers ringing for stakeholders, it is no smooth sail for tourists who are faced with delays in immigration clearance and lack of basic amenities.
“We expect the number of cruise vessels calling at the port to touch 42 in the November-May season. One of the biggest such vessels ‘Quantum of the Seas’ is expected to arrive here in June. The Union Ministers of Shipping and Tourism are expected here to witness the historic arrival,” a senior port official said.
Each year, approximately 60,000 cruise tourists who descend in Kochi generate Rs. 60 crore to the State’s exchequer. On an average, a cruise tourist (most of them belong to high-spending category) spends $200 in the State during a ship’s stopover here for less than a day.
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It translates into good tidings for tour operators, shipping agents, travel guides, antique sellers and autorickshaw drivers.
On complaints of immigration clearance taking an unduly long time, the senior official said Customs had readied a new software to speed up the process. There are other problems such as catering and other staff on board being dissuaded from alighting from the ships since they have to pay $40 for visa. Though there are Indian nationals in different departments of the vessel, many are unable to invite their relatives on board due to restrictions by cruise ship operators.
Tour operators, guides and taxi and auto drivers have been demanding the opening of the port’s ‘Samudrika’ cruise passenger facilitation centre whenever cruise ships come calling at BTP berth. “We arrive over an hour before a ship’s arrival. Often, we have to compel officials to open toilets and other amenities for use, though it was set up here using Central tourism funds. Cruise tourists and tourism stakeholders are treated much better, including in ports such as Sri Lanka. Often, tourists have to queue under the sun for want of shade. With a lot of cargo handling shifting to Vallarpadam container terminal, there is plenty of scope for augmenting amenities for cruise ships,” said Rajesh P.R., a tour guide.
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Port sources said better amenities could be arranged for tourists if ground handling or shipping agents paid for it or arranged for roofed areas.
“Berthing cruise ships at a clean and safe place is crucial since each vessel brings hundreds of senior citizens and high-end tourists from around the globe,” said Sejoe Jose, managing director of a travel agency and president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (Kerala chapter). Bigger vessels could not berth at BTP terminal and hence had to berth in the midst of cargo ships, many of which might be loading or unloading coal or other goods that spread plenty of dust, he said.
Both tourism and port officials called for operating a prepaid autorickshaw counter near the berth whenever cruise ships arrived to prevent aggressive canvassing and fleecing by drivers.