The City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam, welcomed cruise tourism with the arrival of the luxury cruise liner, MV Empress, on 2 July 2025. The cruise liner is a part of Cordelia Cruises and arrived at the Visakhapatnam International Cruise Terminal on Wednesday morning and was flagged off virtually in the evening. The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, virtually flagged off the cruise liner, which was departing for Chennai from Vizag.
This is a major milestone in the city’s growing development, positioning it as a substantial hub for cruise tourism.
Focus on developing cruise tourism in Vizag
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, in several instances so far, extended his word that the State Government will not leave any stone unturned in terms of developing an extensive cruise tourism hub in the city.
The Union Minister expressed that Visakhapatnam is an optimal place for enhancing cruise tourism and boosting the marine economy. Minister of Ports, Shantanu Thakur, confirmed that the Central Government is supportive of establishing cruise tourism at ports across India. Minister of Tourism Kandula Durgesh also highlighted the State Government’s efforts to develop tourist hubs and plan for more cruise liners.
Special Chief Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Ajay Jain affirmed full support from the government to enhance cruise tourism.
On the other hand, Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) Chairperson M Angamuthu, stated that the VPA would sponsor 5,000 students annually in skills related to cruise development programmes. This initiative would generate employment in coastal regions and be an integral part in uplifting the socio-economic aspects in the city. He also proposed an Andhra Pradesh specific ‘Cruise Dialogue’ to push the development of Cruise Tourism in the state, involving major stockholders and key ministers.
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