Mangaluru : M V Aida Aura, one of the luxury vessels of Aida Cruises, called at New Mangalore Port on Wednesday, There were as many as 1,145 cruise passengers and 411 crew on board the vessel.

According to a press release, this is the 10th voyage of the vessel at New Mangalore Port and the vessel is scheduled for six more calls in the current financial year.

A total of 749 passengers opted for ground tour and visited places in and around Mangaluru – including the 1,000-pillar temple at Moodbidri, Soans Farm, cashew factories, St Aloysius Chapel, Gokarnanatha Temple, Kadri Manjunatha temple and City Market shopping among other places – and returned to the vessel. The cruise vessel sailed off to Goa at night.

The itinerary of the vessel is Dubai-Mumbai-Mangalore-Goa-Muscat. Majority of the passengers are from Germany, the release stated, and added that this is the 11th cruise vessel calling at the Port during the current financial year 2015-16.

The port is witnessing the arrival of a greater number of cruise vessels due to the availability of infrastructure like state-of-the-art cruise lounge accommodated with immigration counter, foreign exchange facility, duty free shops, handicraft boutique, and above all the clean and green environment inside the port area, the release added.