MV Ganga Vilas: PM Modi to flag off world’s longest river cruise journeying 3200 km

MV Ganga Vilas: PM Modi is to inaugurate the world’s longest river cruise in Varanasi on January 13, 2023. Marking the beginning of a new era of river cruise tourism for India, this luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 kilometers across 27 different river systems in 5 states of India via Bangladesh to Dibrugarh. Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal shared the information on Sunday.

Sonowal says, “Under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi, we are exploring the immense wealth that our rich river system has to offer. This route of sustainable development through inland waterways has received a tremendous boost as efforts to increase cargo traffic as well as passenger tourism have yielded encouraging results. The MV Ganga Vilas Cruise is a step towards unlocking the vast potential of river tourism in the country.”

52 days cruise trip has been planned

According to the Union Minister, the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ in Varanasi has been equipped to showcase the best of the country to the world. A 52-day cruise has been planned covering 50 tourist destinations including 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 MV Ganga Vilas cruise is 62 meters long, 12 meters wide and sails comfortably with a draft of 1.4 metres. It has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, having all facilities to provide a memorable and luxurious experience to the tourists. It is equipped with a pollution free system and noise control technologies as well.

Luxury cruise will pass from here to here

After the famous ‘Ganga Aarti’ at Varanasi, the cruise will stop at Sarnath, a place of great reverence for Buddhism. It will also cover Mayong, known for its Tantric learning, and Majuli, the largest riverine island and the center of Vaishnava culture in Assam. Travelers will also visit the Bihar School of Yoga and Vikramshila University, which will give them an opportunity to experience Indian heritage rich in spirituality and knowledge. The cruise will also pass through the biodiversity-rich World Heritage Sites of the Sunderbans in the Bay of Bengal Delta which is home to the Royal Bengal Tigers, as well as the Kaziranga National Park, home to the one-horned rhinoceros.

MV Ganga Vilas Cruise is the first cruise service of its kind. With the support of the Inland Waterways Authority of India under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the success of this service is likely to encourage entrepreneurs to take advantage of river cruises in other parts of the country.

Eight river cruise ships operate in India

According to the Union Minister, the global river cruise market is going at a rate of 5 percent in the last few years and is expected to reach 37 percent of the cruise market by 2027. Europe is developing with about 60 percent share in terms of river cruise ships in the world. In India, 8 river cruise ships operate between Kolkata and Varanasi, while cruise movement also operates on National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra). Tourism activities like river rafting, camping, sightseeing, kayaking etc. are conducted at many places in the country.

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According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, ten passenger terminals are being constructed on National Waterway 2, which will further increase the possibility of river cruise. Currently, there are four river cruise ships operating in National Waterway 2, while they operate with limited capacity in National Waterway 3 (West Coast Canal), National Waterway 8, National Waterway 4, National Waterway 87, National Waterway 97, and National Waterway 5.