India is significantly expanding its tourism infrastructure, moving beyond traditional roads, railways, and airports to embrace new modes of travel. A recent report highlights ambitious plans for ropeways, river cruises, and seaplanes, aiming to enhance connectivity to previously hard-to-reach destinations.
Ropeways to Boost Hill and Pilgrimage Tourism
Under the Parvatmala programme, India is set to implement over 250 ropeway projects, spanning approximately 1,200 kilometers. This initiative represents an estimated investment of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, designed to improve access to high-footfall pilgrimage sites and reduce environmental pressure on sensitive hill regions.
Notable projects include the proposed 12.9-kilometer Kedarnath ropeway, which is expected to cut the journey from Sonprayag to Kedarnath from 8-9 hours down to just 36 minutes. Similarly, the 12.4-kilometer Hemkund Sahib ropeway aims to reduce a multi-day trek to roughly three hours. Another key project, the Kashi ropeway, is projected to shorten travel time to the Kashi Vishwanath corridor from 40-45 minutes to about 15 minutes.
River Tourism Gathers Momentum
India's extensive waterways are increasingly becoming a vital component of its tourism ecosystem. Inland waterway passenger traffic saw substantial growth, rising from 1.61 crore in FY2024 to 7.6 crore in FY2025. Concurrently, the number of river cruise vessels expanded from a mere three in FY2014 to 25 in FY2025, currently operating across 17 circuits.
The nation presently boasts 32 operational National Waterways, with plans to increase this number to 52 by 2030. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) also intends to establish 51 new river cruise circuits across 47 waterways by 2047, potentially expanding cruise tourism along major rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna, and those in Jammu and Kashmir. Government data indicates a 19.4% rise in river cruise voyages on National Waterways, from 371 in 2023-24 to 443 in 2024-25.
Seaplanes Open New Coastal and Island Routes
Seaplane connectivity is emerging as a promising option for accessing India's numerous islands and coastal destinations. More than 28 water aerodromes have been identified or awarded under the UDAN-3 scheme and subsequent rounds. These planned aerodromes will serve destinations including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, and Telangana.
India's first dedicated seaplane operator, Skyhop Aviation, has received its Air Operator Certificate and is actively exploring the integration of electric and hybrid seaplanes into its fleet by 2030, signaling a move towards sustainable air travel options.