Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday announced that the 1st Incredible India International Cruise Conference-2022 will be held in Mumbai from 14th to 15th of May.<br />''<br />''The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mumbai Port Authority and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are organizing the two-day event in Mumbai.<br />''<br />''Making the announcement at a press conference in Mumbai today, the Minister said that the Indian cruise market has the potential to grow by ten times over the next decade, driven by rising demand and disposable incomes. He said, India is gearing up to be a magnificent cruise destination and capture the growing market. He added that the flagship Sagarmala initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is connecting the ports of Chennai, Vizag and Andaman with Goa, which receive maximum tourists.<br />''<br />''Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal also unveiled the brochure, logo, and the mascot of the Conference- Captain Cruzo. He also launched the event website - <a href="http://www.iiicc2022.in/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.iiicc2022.in&source=gmail&ust=1650641734553000&usg=AOvVaw2lFIsHowQIxhPD6Rle5xDe">www.iiicc2022.in</a> at the press interaction. The conference aims to deliberate on 'Developing India as a Cruise Hub'.<br />''The Minister said, the conference on international cruise tourism aims to showcase India as a desired destination for cruise passengers, highlight the regional connectivity and disseminate information about India's preparedness for developing the cruise tourism sector.<br />''<br />''Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan highlighted the number of path breaking changes to promote cruise tourism in India, which resulted in a 35 per cent year-on-year growth in cruise tourism until the COVID pandemic set in.<br />''<br />''Chairman of Mumbai Port Authority Rajiv Jalota said, the two-day conference has been organized with an aim to position India as the Global Cruise Hub and showcase business and investment opportunities in the cruise tourism sector.<br />''<br />''Chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India Sanjay Bandopadhyay said, this conference will attract more global players and will have all the operators in global cruise tourism.<br />