On this trip, the tourists will visit 50 spots along 27 rivers, covering a distance of 3,200km

Anisur Rahman Shwapan :The Indian cruise ship, Ganga Vilas, left Barisal for Dhaka Thursday, seven days after it arrived in Bangladesh.

It anchored at the Navy jetty on the Kirtonkhola River adjacent to the Muktijoddha Park about 3pm on Wednesday.

Barisal Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Hossain welcomed the tourists with flowers. He said adequate security arrangements had been made for foreign tourists.

Marine Police personnel are working as security for them along the river route, besides extra police being deployed wherever they go.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Deputy Director at Barisal River Port Abdur Razzak confirmed the matter.

Tourists on the ship, mostly of Swiss origin, visited different spots in Barisal city. They visited the Oxford Mission Church and the floating market of guava gardens in Bhimruli on the Jhalakathi-Barisal border.

On this trip, the tourists will visit 50 spots along 27 rivers, covering a distance of 3,200km. The ship will enter Dhubri in India through Chilmari port in Kurigram on May 17. The journey will end at Dibrugarh in Assam on May 1.

There are 28 tourists on the Ganga Vilas. Among them, 27 are citizens of Switzerland and one is a citizen of Germany. Besides, there are 41 Indian crew and guides on the ship.

On January 13 this year, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the journey of the luxury cruise ship Ganga Vilas from Benaras of India. On the 21st day of the tour, February 3, the tourist ship Ganga Vilas entered Bangladesh waters.

Kayes Khan, the representative of the tourist guide organization Journey Plus, said that though the tourists could not see tigers in the Sundarbans, they were happy to see the footprints of tigers. They were fascinated by the natural beauty of this country.

Superintendent of Police of Marine Police (Barisal Region) Kofil Uddin said that Marine Police, Coast Guard, Tourist Police and metropolitan police were working together to ensure security.

Hans Frank, a citizen of Switzerland, said the experience of this trip was amazing.

Imo, another citizen of Switzerland, said: “We are really impressed by the beauty of Bangladesh. The security system was also very good. We are enjoying our Bangladesh tour very much.”

Raj Singh, chairman of Ganga Vilas, said that it is the world’s longest river cruise without any problems being faced on this journey.

The five-star cruise ship anchored at the Mongla port jetty at noon on February 4. The crew and tourists were received in Mongla by State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma and Mongla Port Chairman Rear Admiral Mir Ershad Ali.