Luxury Cruise Ganga Vilas carrying Swiss tourists reaches Ghazipur in UP
Tags: National News
The luxury Cruise Ganga Vilas carrying Swiss tourists on 7 January reached Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.
An overview of the news
The tourists visited the famous places of Ghazipur including the tomb of Lord Cornwallis. The cruise reached Varanasi on 8 January.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, on January 13.
The cruise will start from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and end at Dibrugarh in Assam.
The journey will cover a distance of 3,200 km in 50 days and pass through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.
The cruise will also pass through national parks and sanctuaries including Sundarbans Delta and Kaziranga National Park.
World’s longest river cruise Ganga Vilas
The length of the Ganga Vilas vessel is 62 metres and the width is 12 metres.
It has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 passengers, with all facilities for tourists.
It is equipped with pollution free mechanisms and noise control technologies.
The itinerary of Ganga Vilas has been conceptualised to showcase the rich heritage of India with stops at places of historical, cultural and religious importance.
Ganga Vilas Cruises is the first cruise service of its kind.
With the support of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways, efforts are on to make this service a success in other parts.
The global River cruise market
The global river cruise market has grown at a rate of ~5% over the past few years and is expected to account for ~37% by 2027.
Europe is the fastest growing with about 60% 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).
10 passenger terminals are under construction on NW2 which will further enhance the potential for river cruises.
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