The expected date of arrival of MV Ganga Vilas in Dibrugarh is on March 1, 2023
The world’s longest river cruise, Ganga Vilas luxury which left Kolkata on December 22, reached Ramnagar port in Varanasi on Tuesday and is all set to be virtually flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13.
“This will be a unique cruise in the world and a reflection of growing cruise tourism in India. I request that the people of West Bengal take advantage of this,” Modi said on Friday while launching several projects for the state via video-conferencing. He also stated that the cruise’s inaugural voyage will take place on January 13.
Read More: Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, BOI, Federal Bank: Banks that Morgan Stanley prefers ahead of Q3 results
From Ramnagar, the cruise is set to travel to Sant Ravidas Ghat where it will receive a grand welcome. The cruise was initially scheduled to reach Varanasi on Saturday but was delayed due to bad weather, a report quoting ANI said.
In 51 days, the luxury cruise with foreign tourists will cover approximately 3,200 km of 27 river systems in India, including the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Brahmaputra, and West Coast Canal.
Traveling on the world’s longest waterway from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam, the MV Ganga Vilas vessel is 62 meters in length, 12 meters in width, and comfortably sails with a draft of 1.4 meters. It has three decks and 18 suites on board with a capacity of 80 tourists.
The Ganga Vilas Cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots, includingWorldHeritage Sights, 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. In Bangladesh, the cruise will travel approximately 1,100 kilometres.
Read More: Aluminium industry seeks removal of tax on raw materials
The cruise operated by a private player will be a regular feature, a senior official of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the agency responsible for National Waterways (NWs) told the Times of India.
“Our civilisation developed along the rivers, so tourists taking river cruises will have a better experience and understanding of our culture and heritage,” an IWAI official explained.
HOW TO BOOK THE TICKETS?
According to reports, the average fare per person is about Rs 25,000 per night. Tickets for the Ganga Vilas cruise are available through the website of Antara Luxury River Cruises.
The itinerary of MV Ganga Vilas has been curated to showcase the rich heritage of India with stopovers at spots of historical, cultural, and religious importance. The expected date of arrival of MV Ganga Vilas in Dibrugarh is on March 1, 2023.
