Viking Mars, the cruise, arrived with 650 passengers and 452 crew members on Wednesday and is docked at the International Cruise berth of Mormugao port.
The cruise ship arrived in Goa
Tourist season is here and the first international Cruise ship has arrived in Goa.
Viking Mars, the cruise, arrived with 650 passengers and 452 crew members on Wednesday and is docked at the International Cruise berth of Mormugao port.
The passengers were greeted with flowers and welcomed by playing the traditional music of Goa. A large number of taxis also gathered at the port town, to make the commute of the tourists easier.
Mr. Sankalp Amonkar, the MLA of Mormugao, has suggested the government declare the port of Mormugao as the ‘port of call’, which means the cruise ships can stay at the port for 2-3 days. As of now, both domestic and international cruises stay at the port for a few hours, which gives passengers very less time for sightseeing.
Journey of the Cruise
The International cruise, Viking Mars started from Norway and sailed to Dubai and Mumbai, before arriving in Goa. The ship is scheduled to go to Sri Lanka as its final destination.
Right now, the vessel is on its way and is expected to reach Columbo on November 18, 2022.
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Contribution of tourism to the economy of Goa
Around 16% of the total state GDP comes through tourism and contributes towards providing livelihood to many people of Goa. Tourism helps in developing the infrastructure and also adds to the growth of the overall economy of the country.
The president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Mr. Nilesh Shah said it’s a good sign for tourism, once the international cruises have started arriving in Goa.
It has to be noted that due to the pandemic, the operation of international cruises had come to a standstill. Now, with the situation of the pandemic getting better all around the World, life seems to be coming back on track and with the reopening of international cruise arrivals, a major boost in tourism is expected. This in turn would help increase the revenues of Goa and generate self-employment opportunities for the locals of the state.
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