New Delhi: As a part of new-age tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world's longest ever river cruise- MV Ganga Vilas, in Varanasi via video conference on Friday. The first ever indigenously built cruise vessel will traverse 3200 kilometres across 2 countries and 27 river systems to reach Dibrugarh, Assam from Varanasi.
Speaking on the occasion the Prime Minister said, "the beginning of the world's longest river cruise service on river Ganga is a landmark moment. It will herald a new age of tourism in India." In their debut journey the 31 passengers -all from Switzerland and Germany- will visit 50 places of two countries- India and Bangladesh- in a span of 51 days.
Modi, in his emotional message to the tourists on board, said, "India has everything you can imagine. It also has a lot beyond your imagination. India can't be defined in words. India can only be experienced from the heart. This is because India has opened her heart to everyone." "This will expand trade and tourism and employment opportunities in eastern India," he added.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways - Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and other Ministers and senior officials from various Ministries and Departments were present in the inaugural programme.
"Today will be written in the history of the world's river cruise as it will be the longest journey in the world. It will go through UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bangladesh till Dibrugarh. Through this journey, not only the path of tourism but also the path of trade will open(sic)," Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on the occasion.
Also read: Luxury cruise Ganga Vilas reaches UP's Varanasi, to be flagged off by PM Modi on Jan 13
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said, "the River cruise MV Ganga Vilas will visit Buxar, Chapra, Patna, Munger, Sultanganj and Kahalgaon in the state. The tourists will be accorded a traditional welcome at each port and taken to visit historical places."
Here are 5 highlights of MV Ganga Vilas that will leave tourists thrilled:
- MV Ganga Vilas will begin its journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and travel 3,200 km, in 51 days, to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh.
- The maiden voyage that set off Friday has 32 tourists from Switzerland who have signed up for the entire length of the journey.
- The cruise has been planned with visits to 50 tourist spots. These include world heritage sites, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
- The cruise ship is 62 meters in length and 12 meters wide and requires a draft of 1.4 meters.
- The luxury cruise has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the luxury amenities.
