The Aqua Cruise Awards, denoted as the 1st Aqua Cruise & Maritime Tourism Awards in India, was organized in Mumbai and successfully pulled off on 12th April 2023, an initiative by Aquarius Marine Services & Consultancy.
The evening glittered with the presence of prominent identities from the cruise and maritime tourism domain, with Chief Guest, Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Authority (MBPA) and IPA and DG Shipping, Govt of India; and Guest of Honour – R.C. Singh, Chairman, B.P. Marine Academy; Nalini Gupta, MD – Lotus desnaons (GSA), COSTA Cruises India; Raj Singh, CEO and Founder, Antara Luxury Cruises, Owner of Ganga Vilas; Jurgen Bailom, CEO and President, Cordelia Cruises.
Other dignitaries who enlightened the evening with their presence were Manoj Singh, Country Head India, Norwegian Cruise Lines; Deepak Shetty, Ex. DG Shipping, Govt. of India; Ratna Chadha, Co-Founder and Chairperson, Tirun Travel Marketing, India Rep – Royal Caribbean Cruises Group; and others.
Welcoming the guests, Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, MBPA and IPA and DG Shipping, GoI, mentioned, “I am really grateful that this leap of faith has been taken and organizing an awards ceremony in particular for cruise industry. I am sure this will deliver motivation to the cruise industry, which is at the cusp of growth. I am sure that someday, this awards ceremony will expand to a 1 or 2-day event in the coming days.”
The aim of the extravaganza was to recognize the contribution of stakeholders and leaders toward the blooming cruise and maritime tourism scenario prevailing in India. The event was mainly curated by Capt. Anish Jaggi, who is the Proprietor at Aquarius Marine Services and Consultancy.
Highlighting the accomplishment of the event, Jurgen Bailom, CEO and President, Cordelia Cruises mentioned, “My congratulations go out to Capt. Jaggi for his great passion and efforts to pull this event together and organize the marvelous awards event. His passion for this industry is remarkable and I hope this continues. I am proud to be in India as my forecast about India would be, that in the next 5-7 year India is going to be one of the largest cruise hubs. It is great to see many known faces here today, and we together have to work closely and very hard on our future goals to make sure we are very clear and laid out for all international cruise companies to come here.”
Talking about the initiative, Nalini Gupta, MD – Lotus Destinations (GSA), COSTA Cruises India, said, “I was not surprised when I heard of it from Capt. Jaggi as I knew it was coming from one way or the other, but I am glad somebody took the initiative. I believe it is a small step now, but it is going to lead to something big with bigger force because cruising is going to be a big way of traveling for Indians.”
The event was followed by cocktails and dinner and indulged a performance by the renowned singer Shibani Kashyap.
1st Aqua Cruise & Maritime Tourism Awards Celebrated in Mumbai
