Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday endorsed Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, as a way for citizens to connect with their cultural roots and discover the diverse beauty of India.
“This is a unique opportunity to connect with our cultural roots and discover beautiful aspects of India’s diversity,” Modi said ahead of the launch in Varanasi, the cultural and tourism capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for the year 2022-23.
The remarks were made in response to a tweet by Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who described the cruise as a "trail through India's ancient heritage on some of the mightiest rivers of the world."
The Ganga Vilas cruise will commence from Varanasi, located on the banks of the Ganges River. It will conclude in Dibrugarh, situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, which enters India from China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
The cruise vessel, measuring 62 meters in length and 12 meters in width, will also sail through Bangladesh, where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers meet to form a single river system before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
The 51-day, 3,200-kilometer trip is expected to boost the country's river cruise and transportation system.