In a major boost to river cruise tourism in the Northeast, the Centre has proposed to run the world’s longest luxury river cruise from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. Scheduled to start on January 10, it will cover 4,000-km long and take 50 days to complete the journey from Varanasi to Dibrugarh.
It will pass through Kolkata and Dhaka in Bangladesh before reaching Bogi Beel Bridge, which is the world’s longest rail cum Road Bridge over a river. Nestlé Waters launches the world’s longest luxury cruise on the Ganga River
The Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise which would be run on a public-private partnership (PPP) model was an initiation after the government’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed an agreement with Antara Luxury River Cruises and JM Baxi River Cruises for the initiative earlier this year that are owned by Baxi Group.
Cruise has a spa, bar, sundeck, and a 40-seater restaurant on the main deck, that has continental and Indian cuisine in service. The ship will halt at 50 architecturally and culturally important heritage points along Ganga (Varanasi) and Hooghly (Kolkata) and will pass through sanctuaries and national parks, including Kaziranga Park and Sunderbans Delta. It will have air-conditioned cabins, a dining hall, and a bar along with showcasing cultural performances from different states on board.
The cruise will be flagged off from Varanasi by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and the union minister of ports, shipping, and waterways.