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PM Modi flag off world’s longest river cruise, 'Ganga Vilas' in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas on January 13, 2023 in Varanasi. The cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 kms across 27 river systems in 5 states in India and Bangladesh. The huge untapped potential of river cruise is set to get unlocked with this service and it will herald a new age of river cruise tourism for India, said Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

We are exploring the immense wealth that our rich river system has to offer. This avenue of sustainable development via inland waterways has received a tremendous boost as efforts to augment cargo traffic as well as passenger tourism has borne fruit with encouraging results, added Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

MV Ganga Vilas cruise -

The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is a first-of-its-kind cruise service, with support from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways (MoPSW). The success of this service is likely to enthuse entrepreneurs to explore river cruise in other parts of the country.

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, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists. The ship follows sustainable principles at its core as it is equipped with pollution-free mechanisms and noise control technologies. The maiden voyage of MV Ganga Vilas will witness 32 tourists from Switzerland relishing the Varanasi to Dibrugarh journey. The expected date of arrival of MV Ganga Vilas in Dibrugarh is on 1st March, 2023.

Places to be cover and destination

The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is curated to bring out the best of the country to be showcased to the world. The 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage 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.

The itinerary of MV Ganga Vilas has been curated to showcase the rich heritage of India with stopovers in spots of historical, cultural and religious importance. From the “Ganga Arti” in Varanasi, it will stop at Sarnath, a place of reverence for Buddhism. It will also cover Mayong, known for its Tantric craft, and Majuli, the largest river island and hub of Vaishnavite cultural in Assam.

The travellers will also visit the Bihar School of Yoga and Vikramshila University. The cruise will also traverse through the biodiversity rich World Heritage Sites of Sunderbans in Bay of Bengal delta, famous for Royal Bengal Tigers, as well as Kaziranga National Park, famous for one horn rhino.

Indian tourism market

The Tourism and Hospitality industry is one of the largest service industries in India. Apart from this, the tourism industry is one of the largest employers of the women workforce. The tourism sector in India is an integral pillar of the Make in India programme. The industry in India plays a role of significant economic multiplier and becomes critical since India has to grow at rapid rates and create jobs.

India is currently ranked 54th in World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (2021). By 2030, India is expected to be among the top five business travel markets.

India offers geographical diversity, world heritage sites and niche tourism products like cruises, adventure, medical, eco-tourism, etc. Incredible India has spurred growth in tourists arrivals and employment. India aims to increase cruise passenger traffic from 0.4 mn at present to 4 mn. Economic potential of Cruise tourism is expected to go up from $110 mn to $5.5 bn in the years to come.

Tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure including hotels, resorts & restaurants, transport infrastructure (aviation, roads, shipping & railways) and healthcare facilities.

River cruise market

The global River cruise market has grown at ~5% over the last few years and is expected to constitute ~37% of the cruise market by 2027. Europe has been driving growth with approx. 60% share of river cruise vessels in the world. In India, 8 river cruise vessels are operational between Kolkata and Varanasi while cruise movement is also operational on National Waterways 2 (Brahmaputra). Tourism activities like river rafting, camping, sightseeing, kayaking and so on are in operation in many spots in the country. The construction of 10 passenger terminals across NW2 are going on which will further bolster the prospect of river cruise.

At present, four river cruise vessels are operational in NW2 while it is operating in limited capacity in NW3 (West Coast Canal), NW8, NW 4, NW 87, NW 97, and NW 5. As the capital expenditure is pumped to build capacity in the inland waterways, the river cruise is set to grow further with systematic forward and backward linkage for the economy, especially across the banks of the rivers.

The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is a step towards unlocking the huge potential river tourism in the country has to offer. The river cruise tourism in the country will generate employment opportunities in the hinterland.

 

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