Dear Everyone,Jai Maa Gange !
Very exciting news about a historical beginning or River Cruises in Bhaarat.
KOLKATA: After years of neglect, the mighty Ganga is set to become a tourist hub. A UK-based tourism company is promoting a cruise from Kolkata
to Varanasi.
The first trip is scheduled on September 26, with 56 British passengers enrolling for the 10-day voyage, said Amrit Singh of UK-based TransIndus. The first leg of the trip that will begin from Kolkata is titled Europe on the River'. It will cruise to former Dutch, French and Portuguese colonies.
Tourists will also sail to historic locations like Plassey, Murshidabad and Kalna in West Bengal, Sarnath, Rajgir and Nalanda in Bihar and finally Varanasi or Benaras in Uttar Pradesh.
The first trip is scheduled on September 26, with 56 British passengers enrolling for the 10-day voyage, said Amrit Singh of UK-based TransIndus. The first leg of the trip that will begin from Kolkata is titled Europe on the River'. It will cruise to former Dutch, French and Portuguese colonies.Tourists will also sail to historic locations like Plassey, Murshidabad and Kalna in West Bengal, Sarnath, Rajgir and Nalanda in Bihar and finally Varanasi or Benaras in Uttar Pradesh.
Tourism consultants say the potential of river tourism here far exceeds that on rivers like the Thames, Sienne, or the Volga. "None have such diverse culture, history and heritage to offer along an 800-mile journey," said Manor Floatel MD and CII chairman (West Bengal tourism panel) Manab Pal.
"The Centre has granted Rs 20 crore for creating jetties, toilets and landscaping at the 12 ghats along the route. The Rs 130-crore heritage cruise project will be finalized by this month. Three large and several small vessels will offer cruise packages along the Hooghly by mid-2010," tourism minister Manab Mukherjee said.
The state tourism development corporation has begun upgrading its four cruise vessels, Madhukar, Sumangal, Sarvajaya and Chitralekha.
