PM’s address at the inauguration of India’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal in Kerala

• Friends, Namaskaram Kochi. Namaskaram Kerala. The Queen of the Arabian Sea is wonderful as always.
• Being among you all makes me very happy. Today we have gathered here to celebrate development.
• Development of Kerala and India. The works being inaugurated today cover a wide range of sectors. They will energise the growth trajectory of India.
• Friends, Two years ago I went to the Kochi Refinery. This is one of India’s most modern refineries. Today, once again from Kochi, we dedicate to the nation:
• The Propylene Derivatives Petrochemicals Complex of the Kochi Refinery . This one project will help strengthen our journey towards being Aatmanirbhar.
• Thanks to this complex, foreign exchange would be saved. A wide range of industries would gain and employment opportunities would be generated.
• Friends, Kochi is a city of trade and commerce. The people of this city understand that time is of the essence. They also appreciate the importance of proper connectivity.
• That is why, dedication of Ro-Ro Vessels to the nation is special. A distance of almost thirty kilometres on road becomes three point five kilometres through waterways.
• This means: Convenience up. Commerce up. Capacity building up. Congestion down. Pollution down. Transport costs down.
• Friends, Tourists come to Kochi not only as a transit point to go to other parts of Kerala. The culture, food, beaches, market places, historical places and spiritual places here are widely known.
• The Government of India is undertaking many efforts to improve tourism related infrastructure here.
• The inauguration of Sagarika, the International Cruise Terminal in Kochi is one example of this.
• Sagarika Cruise Terminal brings both comfort and convenience for tourists. It will cater to over a lakh cruise guests.
• Friends, I have been seeing something in the last few months. A lot of people are writing to me and even sharing pictures on social media about their travels locally.
• Since the global pandemic has affected international travel, people are going to nearby places. This is a great opportunity for us.
• On one hand, this means added livelihood to those in the local tourism industry. On the other hand, it makes the connect between our youth and our culture stronger.
• There is so much to see, learn and discover. I urge our young start-up friends to think about innovative tourism related products.
• I also urge you all to use this time and travel to as many nearby areas as possible. You would be happy to know that the tourism sector in India has been growing well in the last five years.
• In the World Tourism Index ranking, India moved from sixty fifth to thirty fourth position. But, there is a lot more to be done and I am confident we will improve even more.

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