Ashish Ranjan
According to Raj Singh, chairman of Antara Luxury Cruises, the ship with the honour of covering the longest river trip in the world, MV Ganga Vilas, will set out on a 30-day journey from Dibrugarh to Kolkata via Bangladesh on March 2 with 15 Swiss tourists.
The world’s longest river voyage, the MV Ganga Vilas, which is owned and operated by Antara Luxury Cruises, arrived in Dibrugarh, Assam, on February 28 after travelling 3,200 kilometres down a river.
The ship will travel from Dibrugarh to Calcutta via Dhaka, Bangladesh, according to Mr. Singh.On the ship, he said, there will be between 10 and 15 Swiss tourists who will learn about different Indian customs and cuisines.
Beginning on Thursday, the ship will travel 2,200 km; Mr. Singh added that the cruise will make several stops for the tourists at chosen spots.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, greeted the MV Ganga Vilas’ crew and Swiss and German tourists on Tuesday in Assam.
According to Mr. Sonowal, the MV Ganga Vilas’ 50-day voyage has given India and Bangladesh a prominent place on the global river cruise map.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi signalled the start of the voyage from Varanasi on January 13. The voyage travelled through five states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam. On February 17, it arrived in Assam via Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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In addition to important cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam, the onboard tourists toured 50 tourist destinations during their journey, including world heritage sites, national parks, river ghats, and national parks.
