Panaji: M V Aida Cara, a German passenger vessel on a world cruise docked at the Mormugao port on Friday morning. The vessel arrived from Mumbai and about 1,000 German passengers stepped off the ship for a day-long tour, said Freedom Holidays, the company designated as handling agents for the visit.
"We expect seven consecutive international cruise arrivals this season," says Martin Joseph, managing director, Freedom Holidays.
The tourism industry says Goa can expect at least 15 international cruise liners this season. Last season, the state saw 11 cruise arrivals.
Meanwhile, the tourists visited churches at Old Goa, temples at Mangueshi and Mardol in Ponda, the Dudhsagar waterfalls in the hinterland, a jungle jaunt at Tambdi Surla and even managed a trip to Bat Island off Vasco. The vessel set sail for Mangalore at 6 pm.
"If Goa has a dedicated cruise terminal with a passenger lounge, it can tap into a huge market," Joseph said. "The pier was dusty with black powder as coal had been unloaded there the previous night. We had to put a carpet to maintain cleanliness. Dust was flying around, even the tourist coaches were black," he said. "We missed out on the Volvo Ocean Race which went to Kerala. Goa was being considered as a stopover as it is an internationally known destination," Martin said.
The tourism industry also says that Goa needs more tourist guides with fluency in languages such as
German, French, Spanish and Italian. Martin says, "Yes, since we have a shortage of such guides here
we have to get them from Bombay and Delhi, and they charge exorbitant rates. It is actually a great employment opportunity to be tapped in a tourism destination like Goa. Housewives and youngsters can
learn foreign languages and work as part-time interpreters and guides."
Incidentally, there were no representatives from the government nor the tourism department to receive the first cruise as is done with the first charter flights for the season.
Aida Cara's journey originated from Hanover port in Germany and its passengers are on a world cruise spanning 120 days. The itinerary includes shore excursions at Egypt, Muscat, Dubai, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Colombo, Penang-Malaysia, Bangkok-Thailand, Hong Kong, and a return to Germany.
Aida Cruises cater mostly to German speaking passengers. The company's Aida Diva also plans to extend its reach from the Arabian Gulf to include a 11-night Christmas cruise to Mumbai and Goa.
The Aida Cara, which arrived in Goa, has nine passenger decks, a pool, fitness centre, 540-seat theatre, 391 outside cabins of which four have balconies, 202 inside cabins, and can carry 1,000- odd passengers supported by a crew of 370.
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