Guwahati, Feb 17: The world’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, has arrived in Assam after completing its journey through neighbouring Bangladesh. The luxury vessel is expected to travel for 13 days in Assam and halt at several significant cultural, historical, and religious sites before reaching its final destination, Dibrugarh.
The maiden journey of MV Ganga Vilas was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on January 13. It was curated to showcase the rich heritage of India, and tourists could experience the famous ‘Ganga aarti’ in Varanasi and Sarnath, Sundarbans, Mayong, and Majuli.
The vessel, which was scheduled to cover a distance of more than 3,200 km across 27 river systems in five states in India and Bangladesh, has already traversed through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Bangladesh.
Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had earlier said that the vessel would carry 32 tourists from Switzerland, 14 of whom would disembark at Kolkata with an equal number boarding again for the onward journey to Dibrugarh, from where they will fly back to New Delhi.
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Sonowal had also said that MV Ganga Vilas would herald a new age of river cruise tourism in India. The global river cruise market has grown at 5 percent over the last few years and is expected to constitute 37 percent of the cruise market by 2027, according to an estimate. Europe has been driving growth with around 60 percent share of river cruise vessels in the world.
In India, eight river cruise ships are operational between Kolkata and Varanasi, while cruise movement is also operational on the Brahmaputra river. MV Ganga Vilas’ journey through India and Bangladesh has provided an opportunity for tourists to experience the beauty and cultural richness of the region while also contributing to the growth of river cruise tourism in the country.
