AMN/ WEB DESK
The spectacular journey of the Ganga Vilas river cruise entered the 30th day of its 51 day long programme on Wednesday. On the 6th day of its journey through Bangladesh, the river cruise sailed from Morleganj in the morning to arrive at Barisal in the afternoon. There is great excitement in Barisal town about the arrival of the Ganga Vilas river cruise.
Talking to Prasar Bharti Special Correspondent, Senior journalist and author Sushanta Ghosh from Barisal called this visit a ‘unique event’ that will not only promote tourism but also bring people of the two countries together and strengthen friendship between the two countries. He expressed hope that Bangladesh will also launch a similar cruise event and many more such cruise journeys are organised in future. The tourists will be visiting the century old Oxford Church at Barisal late in the afternoon which is a big tourist attraction of the town. The Church built in 1903 is known for its Greek architectural design, beautiful arch-ways and domes which give it the look of a huge locomotive when seen from a distance.
The 3200 kilometre long Ganga Vilas river cruise is bringing the spotlight on some of the most iconic heritage sites and historical places of Bangladesh. The cruise members experienced the beauty of the largest mangrove forest of the world, Sundarbans, after arriving in Bangladesh waters on 3 February. They enjoyed the beautiful Kotaka forest station and the splendid beach at Jamtola. They also explored the narrow creeks and canals of Harbaria to get a glimpse of the immense wealth of natural flora and fauna of this area.
Earlier, after arriving at Mongla port on 4 February, they visited the Sixty-domed mosque at Bagerhat which is a UNESCO heritage site. The journey, apart from providing an unmatched experience to the tourists on board, is also making these places in Bangladesh globally known. In this context, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma had pointed out that the Ganga Vilas river cruise is opening up new opportunities of employment and economic progress to the people of these tourist destinations.