Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday flag off MV Ganga Vilas—the world's longest river cruise that will commence its journey from Varanasi and end in Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. The PMO said the cruise has been curated to bring out the best of the country to be showcased to the world.
What does the cruise include?
"Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river cruise, is a unique opportunity to connect with our cultural roots and discover beautiful aspects of India’s diversity," Namami Gange posted on its official social media handles.
The luxury cruise will cover 3,200 km in 51 days. Over the course of its journey, the cruise is expected to move through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh. The tourists onboard will also get a chance to explore the cultural diversity of both countries and visit over 50 significant spots, including UNESCO world heritage sites, national parks and sanctuaries including the Kaziranga National Park and Sunderbans Delta. The 36 foreign tourists on the Ganga Vilas' maiden cruise will also visit cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
The Ganga Vilas cruise will sail along three major waterways in the sub-continent: National Waterway 1 over the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system, the Indo-Bangla Protocol Route from Kolkata to Dhubri, and National Waterway 2 over the Brahmaputra, Namami Gange stated.
According to reports, the luxury cruiser has three decks, and 18 suites on board with a capacity of carrying 36 tourists. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland who have signed up for the entire length of the journey. "Built with a unique design and a futuristic vision, this cruise will meander across various prominent destinations that lie along Kolkata’s River Hooghly to Varanasi’s River Ganges," Antara cruises, the company behind the luxury cruiser, wrote on its website.
The cruise will reach Kolkata on the 20th day and will set off for Dhaka and enter the Bangladesh border the next day. It will remain in the country waters for the next 15 days, Indian Express reported. The cruise will return to India through Guwahati and reach its final destination at Dibrugarh.
On Friday, Modi will also inaugurate a 'Tent City' on the banks of the Ganga river in Varanasi via videoconferencing. The 'Tent City' has been conceptualised on the banks of the River Ganga to tap the potential of tourism in the region, the PMO said. Developed opposite city ghats, it is expected to cater to the increased tourist influx in Varanasi, especially since the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham.