Visitors on a sandy Andaman beach beside small boats, with the sea and forested hills behind

Destination · India

Corporate offsite in the Andaman Islands: Port Blair, Havelock and Neil

Radhanagar Beach, the reefs of Havelock and Neil, and the Cellular Jail in Sri Vijaya Puram. The islands suit leadership retreats and incentive groups of 30 to 150, and conferences of up to about 200 in a resort block. They reward early planning: flights, ferries and resort blocks all run on tight seat counts.

Plan an event in Andaman Islands
Getting there
Veer Savarkar Airport, with non-stops from Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar
Best months
October to May; ferries and water sports are unreliable in the monsoon
Suits
Retreats and incentive groups of 30 to 150; conferences of up to about 200 in a resort block
Planning
Planned by ICE India's nearest team, with vetted local suppliers on the ground

Why companies choose the Andamans

  • Genuinely remote

    A flight and a ferry put a group well away from the city, with phones down and attention on the programme.

  • Beaches and reefs

    Radhanagar Beach on Havelock, calm swimming at Bharatpur on Neil, and reefs for snorkelling and introductory dives.

  • History with weight

    The Cellular Jail and its evening light-and-sound show give a leadership group something to discuss.

  • Resorts built for blocks

    No large convention centre, but a number of resorts take a whole group and set up open-air venues.

  • Reachable from every metro

    Non-stop flights from six metros mean delegates from different offices land on the same day.

  • Open-air programmes

    Sunset evenings, beach dinners and island-hopping suit gala nights and incentive reveals.

The islands and their current names

Port Blair, the capital, was renamed Sri Vijaya Puram in September 2024. Airlines, ferry operators and hotel addresses use both names, and the airport is still Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ). This page uses Sri Vijaya Puram with Port Blair alongside, so that delegates searching either name find the right place.

Havelock is officially Swaraj Dweep and Neil Island is Shaheed Dweep, both renamed in December 2018. Most programmes use three bases: Sri Vijaya Puram for arrival, the Cellular Jail and larger meeting rooms, Havelock for the best-known beaches and resorts, and Neil for a quieter second leg.

For another island and beach option, compare Kerala.

Planning a group on the islands

The Andamans have no convention centre, and the largest indoor halls are about 4,000 sq ft. Island resorts have one or two real meeting spaces each.

For a group of 100 or more the usual formats are a full-resort block, a split between two neighbouring resorts on Havelock, or a base in Sri Vijaya Puram with a night or two on Havelock. ICE India matches the format to the agenda, since a plenary needs a hall and an incentive group needs a beach.

Lawns and beach decks carry most evening functions, with a marquee or open-air stage added, and the AV plan is built around what each venue can power. Ferry slots, tides and daylight set the day: sessions in the morning, activities in the afternoon, and no long transfer after a late dinner.

The three island bases

Sri Vijaya Puram, Havelock and Neil each suit a different part of the programme. The hotels below are the properties groups ask for most.

A long brick arcade with arched openings inside the Cellular Jail in Sri Vijaya Puram

Arrival, history and the largest halls

Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair)

The capital has the airport, the largest halls and no ferry on arrival day, so it suits conferences and programmes that include the city.

The Cellular Jail, completed in 1906 as a colonial prison, is now a national memorial, with an evening light-and-sound show of about 45 minutes in English and Hindi. ICE India books the tickets and confirms the timings. Ross Island, a short boat ride away, was the site of the first British penal settlement.

Selected corporate venues in Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair)
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Symphony Samudra Beachside Jungle Resort & SpaChidiya Tapu, Sri Vijaya Puram854Ballroom: about 4,000 sq ft, 350; lawn for up to 3,000
Sinclairs Bayview Port BlairSouth Point, Sri Vijaya Puram461The Forum: 1,785 sq ft, 150
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels Bay Island (formerly Fortune Resort Bay Island)Marine Hill, Sri Vijaya Puram461Milah: about 970 sq ft, 70
Symphony Oceanus Bay Beach Resort & SpaCorbyn's Cove, Sri Vijaya PuramNot available3Not available
Megapode Resort (ANIIDCO)Haddo, Sri Vijaya PuramAbout 331Air-conditioned hall: Not available
SeaShell Port BlairMarine Hill, Sri Vijaya PuramAbout 342Moksha and Utsav: about 844 sq ft in total
Visitors in the shallows of Radhanagar Beach at sunset, with forested headland beyond

Beaches and reefs

Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)

Radhanagar Beach on Havelock's west coast was named Asia's best beach by Time magazine in 2004 and holds Blue Flag certification. The resorts near Radhanagar and Govind Nagar suit incentive groups and retreats that use the sea every day, and the reefs offer guided snorkelling and introductory dives for first-timers. Havelock has resorts for a corporate group that wants a full-resort block.

Selected corporate venues in Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa AndamansRadhanagar Beach, Havelock723The Deck: about 3,030 sq ft, 100 (150 reception)
Symphony Palms Beach Resort & SpaGovind Nagar, Havelock1042 plus lawnHavelock Ballroom: Not available, 200
TSG Blue Resort & SpaGovind Nagar, HavelockAbout 752Buddha banquet hall: Not available, 200
Silver Sand Beach ResortVijay Nagar Beach, HavelockAbout 352Samyra: Not available, 140 to 150
Barefoot at HavelockRadhanagar Beach, HavelockAbout 31NoneNo conference hall; open-air spaces set up for a full-resort booking
A shaded beach on Neil Island with shell stalls and visitors in the golden evening light

A quieter second leg

Neil (Shaheed Dweep)

A quieter island for a second night. Bharatpur Beach has shallow water for swimming and water sports, and Laxmanpur has the sunsets and the Natural Bridge, a rock arch best seen at low tide, so visits follow the tide table.

Selected corporate venues in Neil (Shaheed Dweep)
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Symphony Summer Sands Beach Resort & SpaRam Nagar, Neil Island622Not available
Tango Beach ResortLaxmanpur, Neil Island56Banquet hall and meeting roomsNot available
Hotel Sea Shell NeilNeil Island28Conference hall and banquet hallNot available

Flights to the Andamans from the main Indian cities

Six Indian metros have non-stop flights to Veer Savarkar Airport, so teams from different offices can land on the same day. The airport takes narrow-body aircraft only, so ICE India spreads a large group across flights and aligns arrivals with the ferry.

Reaching Andaman Islands
CityAirportNon-stop flightsRail and road
Sri Vijaya PuramVeer Savarkar International (IXZ)Chennai (about 2h 15m), Kolkata (about 2h 20m), Hyderabad (about 2h 30m), Bengaluru (about 2h 45m), Mumbai (about 3h 30m), Delhi (about 3h 45m) and Bhubaneswar. Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Kochi connect through Chennai, Kolkata or Bengaluru.No rail. The airport, about 2 km from town, has a single runway. The Mumbai and Hyderabad non-stops are on one airline each.
Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)None: fly to Sri Vijaya Puram (IXZ)As for Sri Vijaya PuramBy sea only. The crossing is 38 nautical miles, and fast private catamarans take about 90 minutes. Makruzz, ITT Majestic and Green Ocean run private sailings of roughly 200 to 330 seats, so a group of 150 fills most of one sailing and a group of 300 needs consecutive departures. ICE India books them as a block against the flight manifest and holds a reserve sailing.
Neil (Shaheed Dweep)None: fly to Sri Vijaya Puram (IXZ)As for Sri Vijaya PuramBy sea only, from Sri Vijaya Puram or Havelock on the same private catamarans.

What groups do in the Andamans

  • Snorkelling and introductory dives

    Guided reef sessions for first-timers, with instructors and equipment from local operators.

  • Island hopping

    A chartered boat or the fast ferries between Sri Vijaya Puram, Havelock and Neil.

  • Cellular Jail evening

    The memorial by day and the light-and-sound show at dusk.

  • Beach team challenges

    Relays and treasure hunts on the sand, planned around tide and heat.

  • Sunset dinners

    Beach and lawn dinners at Radhanagar, Laxmanpur or the resort.

  • Island seafood meals

    Local fish and Andaman-style cooking for themed dinners.

When to go

October to May is the working season. The sea is calm, ferries run on time and water sports are open, and December and January are the busiest months. Typical formats are two nights and three days, or three nights and four days with one night on a second island.

June to September
The south-west monsoon brings rough seas, frequent ferry suspensions and closed water-sports operators.
October
A transition month, with the second half more settled.
Cyclone months
Tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea from March to June and again from October to December, with peaks in May and November, so groups in those months get a buffer day and flexible ferry bookings.

Planning an event in Andaman Islands: questions

Do delegates need a permit to visit the Andamans?

Indian citizens need no permit for the main tourist islands, only government photo ID. Reserved forests, sanctuaries and tribal reserves need separate approval, and the Nicobar Islands are restricted. Foreign nationals need a valid Indian visa and, for most nationalities, no Restricted Area Permit for the main islands; citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan still need one, applied for at indianfrro.gov.in.

How many nights does an Andaman programme need?

Three nights is the working minimum: one for arrival and recovery, one for the main programme and one for the sea day. Add a fourth if the group is moving between islands, because the ferry takes half a day.

What happens if a ferry or flight is cancelled?

Delegates spend the final night on the same island as the airport, and the programme carries one session that can move indoors. A lost sea day is filled with a resort workshop or the Cellular Jail evening.

Is internet reliable enough for a working programme?

A submarine fibre cable from Chennai, inaugurated in 2020, serves Sri Vijaya Puram and Havelock. Neil Island is not on the cable, and mobile coverage varies by operator, so the resort is asked for a dedicated line before a meeting is confirmed.

Can delegates dive on the last day?

Not if the flight home is within 12 to 18 hours. The Divers Alert Network advises at least 12 hours between a single dive and flying, and 18 hours after repeated dives or several days of diving, so dives are scheduled early in the stay.

How is an Andaman programme priced?

Cost depends on the season, flights, ferry blocks and resort category, and the island logistics are priced as separate lines. ICE India quotes each programme after a short brief. See corporate MICE.

Compare destinations

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    Kerala

    Backwaters, beaches and hill stations for slower-paced retreats.

  • Destination

    Goa

    Beach resorts with large ballrooms and non-stops from every metro.

  • Destination

    Chennai

    The mainland gateway to the islands, with large hotels and a major airport.