Nagapattinam port lines up duty-free shops as India–Sri Lanka ferry traffic scales past 25,000 passengers
Tamil Nadu Maritime Board will award a private operator to run duty-free retail at Nagapattinam's international passenger terminal, with shops live within six months. The ferry route to Kankesanthurai already carries 150 passengers per voyage and has crossed 25,000 cumulative travellers, giving the concession a captive cross-border shopper base.
Tamil Nadu government will set up duty-free retail shops at Nagapattinam international passenger terminal, serving the India-Sri Lanka ferry route. Operations outsourced to a private player, expected live within six months from July.
Why this matters
Nagapattinam port is layering retail onto its young international ferry operation, converting rising India–Sri Lanka passenger volumes into a duty-free revenue stream at the terminal.
Store-openings remain steady with 339 signals in the last 90 days.