Goa’s internation al cruise tourism season is heading for a sharp slow down, with only five foreign cruise liners currently sched uled to call at Mormugao port up to April 2027 — less than half the 12 international lin ers that visited the state dur ing the 2025-26 season. The decline has been at tributed by the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) to the continuing crisis in West Asia, particularly disruptions around the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz, which have forced global cruise operators to al ter routes, cancel voyages and reassess itineraries.
“The crisis has forced many global liners to cancel voy ages. Cruise companies are finding it difficult to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz,” MPA chairman Dr N Vinod Kumar said in a comment to the media. The disruption has also pushed back the start of Goa’s international cruise season. International cruise arriv als usually begin in November, but the first foreign liner scheduled to call at the state this season, Regatta, is due only on December 17 and is expected to carry around 800 passengers. The five global liners currently scheduled to call at Mor mugao in 2026-27 are Odyssey, The World, Seven Seas Splendor, Nautica and Regatta, according to the MPA. The reduction is substantial compared with the previous season. In 2025-26, 12 global cruise ships visited Goa, car rying approximately 11,501 foreign tourists.
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The fall comes at a time when Goa had been seeing a steady presence of international cruise liners and building its cruise tourism profile over the past few seasons. The lat est reduction is therefore a sharp reversal from the activity seen last season, when a dozen global liners brought more than 11,500 foreign passengers to the state. The setback is also significant because Goa has been seeking to strengthen its position as an international cruise destination. The state’s tourism authorities have promot ed cruise tourism as part of Goa’s wider tourism offering, while Mormugao has been developed as an important cruise gateway. The disruption comes alongside a broader national push to expand cruise tourism. The Centre’s Cruise Bharat Mis sion, launched in September 2024, has set a target of in creasing India’s sea-cruise tourist numbers to 10 lakh by 2029.
Mormugao is among the major Indian ports identi fied under the national cruise programme. For Goa, the immediate problem is not a lack of interest in cruise tourism but disruption to international sailing routes. Cruise operators have had to reassess itineraries because of the security situation in waters that form part of major international cruise routes. The effect is visible not only in the number of vessels scheduled to visit Goa but also in the timing of the season itself. With Regatta arriving only in the second half of De cember, the state is set to lose a substantial portion of the period when international cruise activity would normally have begun. There is, however, another side to Goa’s cruise sector this year. While international cruise arrivals have been disrupted, domestic cruise tourism is continuing to move ahead. The Empress Cruise arrived at Mormugao on Septem ber 2 from Mumbai carrying around 1,600 domestic pas sengers.
The MPA has said domestic cruise arrivals are on track, providing some activity for the cruise-related tour ism sector despite the fall in foreign calls. The domestic movement also points to the changing composition of Goa’s cruise traffic. While international lin ers bring foreign tourists into the state, domestic cruises bring passengers from Indian cities such as Mumbai and continue to generate activity for local transport operators, tour operators and other tourism-linked businesses. The domestic segment could therefore provide some support during a season in which international cruise traffic is expected to remain subdued. But the scale of the international decline is significant: Goa is moving from 12 global liners carrying more than 11,500 foreign passengers last season to just five scheduled international liners in the current season.
The national cruise expansion programme had envis aged Mormugao as one of the important cruise gateways for India, alongside other major ports. The Centre has also been promoting measures to attract international cruise lines and expand passenger traffic. The current disruption therefore comes at a difficult time for the sector. Goa had been building its internation al cruise calendar, while the country was simultaneously seeking to expand cruise tourism and passenger traffic. For the state’s tourism industry, the coming months will consequently present a contrasting picture — fewer inter national liners because of the continuing regional crisis, alongside a domestic cruise segment that is continuing to bring passengers to Mormugao. The first major test will come with the arrival of Regatta on December 17. Until then, Goa’s international cruise sea son remains significantly delayed, even as domestic cruise activity continues.
