Cruise ship association wants casinos
India needs to change old shipping laws to get on board the casino cruise industry
India’s newly formed cruise ship industry body has urged the government to allow casinos on cruise ship vessels, in order to promote and nurture the shipping industry.
The Indian cruise industry still lives in the age of Empire protectionism, with costs practically on everything for cruise ships operator. This is a hurdle if the industry is to develop in India by lines seeking to cultivate the domestic market.
The message to India’s executive is: ‘If you want the economic benefit of the cruise industry, you have to make changes because if not, your country is not competitive.’
Last week, the recently formed, India Cruise Lines Association (INCLA) made the recommendations in a whitepaper during a Global Cruise Conclave held in Mumbai, which was handed to Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport, Highways, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari, one of the senior BJP leaders in the country, has opposed the idea of having casinos in India. At the end of August, he said: “We oppose things like casinos, and I will not give permission for that. People will also not tolerate such things.”
Basically, the minister thinks that Indians don’t gamble, but the reality is different. Indian casino players are some of the biggest in South Africa and other countries on the continent, whether Mr Gadkari likes it or not. Right now, as in Brazil, these players are gambling in other countries instead of India.
But hope springs eternal, and local reports indicate that Gadkari might change his position on casinos after the white paper, given his promise to promote and support the shipping industry.
INCLA has presented 12 Key recommendations for growing the cruise industry in India. From changing “Indian cabotage laws to be further liberalized to allow foreign cruise ships to ply in Indian waters indefinitely;” to stop charging tax on practically anything that floats on Indian territorial waters; to a “Relaxation of Indian entertainment and gambling laws for cruise ships;” and most telling, on allowing direct foreign “investment in casinos operated on-board a cruise ship.”
As in China, a main challenge is that the market initially requires short sailings of four to five days in line with cultural holiday norms. Mumbai has strong homeport potential; the population is so large, it probably could feed a ship. Chennai is another possibility and has the benefit of proximity to Sri Lanka. The market is there and not going anywhere; India just needs to come out of its protectionist constraints to grab its share of the casino cruise ships business.
