Twice cancelled cruise

For the second time a pleasure cruise to Lakshadweep organized by Spenta Tours and Travel Private Limited of Bombay was cancelled by the Lakshadweep Tourism authorities on March 5, 2015 causing immense loss to the organizers. Initially, a 70 strong group was to sail from February 14 to 20, 2015 and flights had been booked on the Bombay-Cochin-Bombay sector, as had accommodation in a hotel at Cochin, private coach transfers, sightseeing in that port city and other allied travel services, explained Hoshang Jalejar, director of the 27-year-old Spenta agency, in a press release sent to Parsiana.

Cruise ship M. V. Kavaratti

The voyage on M V Kavaratti to Lakshadweep had been booked through Lakshadweep Travelinks, Bombay. It is operated by Lakshadweep Tourism’s Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports, the official body for the promotion of nature tourism sports, formed by the Lakshadweep Administration in 1982 to tap the tourism potential of the Indian islands and to act as the nodal agency for tourism there.
The sudden cancellation of the cruise because the vessel had to be sent to the dry dock for servicing came as a heavy blow for the company as it involved cancellation of confirmed air tickets, hotel bookings and other local transport services, resulting in a loss of three lakh rupees, Jalajer notes.
When new sailing dates were officially announced fresh bookings were made for a reduced number of 66 passengers for March 5, 2015. It was a mammoth task to reassure customers and rebook for the new dates. Five days prior to the second assured sailing, everyone was shocked to learn via an e-circular from the Lakshadweep Tourism office in Cochin that as dry docking was not yet complete, sailing would not be possible.
Lakshadweep Tourism asks operators to check out their cancellation policy which states that changes can be made at short notice and full refund would be made. But there is no sign of alternate arrangements resulting in repeated heavy losses for which compensation is being overlooked, Jalejar writes. The sad end result is negative status and irreversible financial loss to the tour operators genuinely interested in tapping the island markets of India. There was no response to an email sent to the Lakshadweep Tourism authorities.