Nitin Gadkari assures GST relief for cruise sector

Union Minister for Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that cruise tourism will soon get relief in terms of Goods & Services Tax (GST) for which there is a lot of ambiguity and is being charged at around 18 per cent in many cases.

Speaking at the Global Cruise Conclave, organised by India Cruise Lines Association, Gadkari said the shipping ministry has already sought GST cut, and the GST council is expected to take a decision in its next meeting. He said India has a lot of potential in the cruise tourism sector and is well poised to grow. "The government is ready to invest in this sector for it to prosper as it carries a lot of potentials. Today when we talk about cruise tourism we only consider our 7,000-km-long coastline, not our around 23,000-km-long riverfront. We have a cruise floating today in Varanasi, and it should be possible in all our rivers," Gadkari said.

Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra said for India and the investors in the cruise industry, it is a case of now or never. "We are into entertainment, but we plan to enter cruise entertainment and give a boost to industry and cruise tourism which also creates direct and indirect employment. Essel Group is committed towards cruise tourism and is starting cruise services from November. I know there are a lot of challenges but we will be able to make it," he said.