India’s river cruise tourism is experiencing remarkable growth, with a 19.4% increase in the number of voyages on National Waterways-rising from 371 in 2023–24 to 443 in 2024–25. Over the past 11 years, the sector has transformed significantly, expanding from just five vessels operating on three waterways in 2013–14 to 25 vessels navigating 13 national waterways in 2024–25. This progress is largely attributed to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), which has spearheaded efforts to develop sustainable water transport by improving navigational safety and infrastructure across the country’s river systems.
To further boost this momentum, the IWAI has outlined an ambitious plan to develop 51 new river cruise circuits on 47 national waterways spanning 14 states and three union territories by 2027. Supporting this initiative is the government’s Cruise Bharat Mission, which aims to triple the number of river cruise passengers from 0.5 million to 1.5 million over the next two years. The mission focuses on upgrading cruise terminals and ports, introducing environmentally friendly green vessels, and generating large-scale employment in the cruise tourism sector.
IWAI has also entered into strategic partnerships with various state governments to promote cruise tourism. Recent agreements include collaborations with the governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for promoting cruises on the Narmada River, with the Delhi government for operations on the Yamuna, and with the Jammu and Kashmir government to develop sustainable tourism on the Jhelum, Ravi, and Chenab rivers.
Dedicated cruise terminals are being developed at key locations such as Varanasi, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Patna. In the Northeast, additional terminals are planned at Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, and Guijan by 2027. Popular cruise routes such as the Sundarbans in West Bengal, the Brahmaputra in Assam, and the backwaters of Alappuzha in Kerala continue to attract growing numbers of domestic and international tourists. Adding to this momentum, Viking Cruises has announced plans to launch a new cruise service on the Brahmaputra River by late 2027 using an indigenous vessel named Viking Brahmaputra. In a landmark journey in January 2023, the MV Ganga Vilas completed the world’s longest river cruise from Varanasi to Dibrugarh, spanning 3,200 km across 27 river systems and five Indian states as well as Bangladesh, earning a place in the Limca Book of Records.