Come January and a heady blend of adventure , wildlife and heritage is set to unfold on the waters of the mighty Brahamaputra with MV Mahabaahu, a four –storied luxury liner taking travel – buffs along an exotic long-distance river cruise touching attractions like Kaziranga and Majuli.
The luxury cruiser – billed as among the finest in Asia – will operate as part of a joint venture between the Assam tourism Development Corporation and Far Horizon, a Delhi-based travel firm with expertise in long-distance river tourism.
“the Rs 7.42 crore projects is funded jointly by the Union Tourism Ministry and Far Horizon with their shares being Rs 3.92 crore and Rs 3.50 crore repetively.The State Inland Water Transport Department is providing the required technical supervision,” Chandrasekhar Bhattacharya, general manager, ATDC, told The Assam Tribune.
The air-conditioned cruiser with have the best of amenities including swimming pool, boutique, multi-cuisine restaurant with ethnic food,bar,dance floor, library, home theatre, Ayurvedic massage room, saloon, sauna bath , gym etc.
“An IWT hull 55 meters in length and 10 meters in width is being converted to a cruiser with four decks. It will have eight standard rooms, eight deluxe rooms, 11 luxury rooms and two suites. Everything has been done meticulously to meet international standards and every norm for long-distance river cruise,” Bhattacharya said, adding that the ship should be redoing for launch by mid-January next year.
Bhattacharya said that the objective of the venture was to place Assam firmly on the global tourism map.” With a river like the Brahamaputra, river tourism has an untapped potential and we plan to develop it and showcase Assam’s rich heritage before a global audience,” he said.
The cruiser will have additional facilities like excursion boats and night cruising, enabling the travelers to go for occasional short sight-seeing trips during the course of the cruise.
Inbuilt and eco-friendly garbage treatment and water treatment plants are some of the other novelties.
While Far Horizons will be responsible for maintaining the cruiser’s day-to-day operations, the ATDC will get a share of the revenue generated. Global marketing in different for a for the Brahamaputra cruise has a ready been started by Far Horizons which expect the Endeavour to be a sustainable one that can open up new vistas on the State’s tourism front. The ATDC will soon be procuring six small cruisers for short-distance local use on the Brahamaputra at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.
|
|
