Welcoming ‘MV Ganga Vilas’, the world’s longest river cruise at its culminating destination in Dibrugarh, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday hailed it as a historic and path-breaking event to be witnessed in the Inland Waterways sector since India’s Independence 75 years ago.

MV Ganga Vilas arrived at Bogibeel, as the dignitaries led by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal accorded a warm welcome to all the 28 foreign tourists travelling onboard.

With the successful end of its maiden journey covering a distance of over 3200 km, the MV Ganga Vilas opens up a new vista of opportunity in the river tourism potential in the entire South Asia region.

Earlier, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi flagged off MV Ganga Vilas – the first indigenously made cruise vessel in India – from Varanasi on January 13, 2023. 

Built with a unique design and a futuristic vision, the cruise has three decks and 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists. It is already booked for to and fro journeys for the next two years. 

During this epoch-making journey, the tourists travelling onboard had an opportunity to travel via iconic places like Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka, the Sunderbans and the Kaziranga before reaching Dibrugarh in Assam.

Speaking on the huge boost to the river economy in the Northeast region, Union minister Sonowal said, “Our glorious history of riverine trade is set to be reclaimed with the successful completion of the world’s longest river cruise.

“With the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi, we have reclaimed our access from the Brahmaputra to international marine trade routes via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) & coastal ecosystem. The entire riverine economy through Arth Ganga has received a magnificent boost through the success of this River Cruise,” he further added.

‘MV Ganga Vilas’ has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the world. It has opened a new vista and vertical for tourism and freight carriage in the Indian sub-continent.

Have a story to share? Email us [email protected]