Scenic Announces Expansion Into India's Brahmaputra River In Partnership with Assam Bengal Navigation

Earlier this year, the Scenic Group made waves in the river cruising industry when they unveiled plans to expand into India and Sri Lanka. Now, they’ve ramped things up with the announcement of two additional ultra-luxury ships due to sail the region by 2029/2030.

In June, the Scenic Group revealed plans for Scenic Aura, a 44-passenger vessel set to cruise West Bengal’s Hooghly River beginning in October 2027. The itineraries will comprise all-inclusive river journeys as well as land-based adventures through India and Sri Lanka, calling at culturally significant cities, shrines, palaces, bustling marketplaces, local communities and more. The announcement was met with a great deal of enthusiasm, with limited availability now remaining on a handful of sailings. 

“The introduction of Scenic Aura on India’s Hooghly River is a significant milestone for Scenic Group, with the collection developed entirely around what our guests are asking for,” said Adam Burke, Scenic Journey Designer. “These itineraries have been thoughtfully designed to provide unique and exclusive experiences that are culturally rich and showcase the best of India and Sri Lanka, all delivered with the depth of inclusions and personalised service Scenic is known for”. 

At the time, Scenic Aura was described as “the first step in what we expect will be a long-term commitment to India” and it would seem Scenic is already making good on their promise. This week, the Group have revealed not just plans for new ships, but an exciting partnership with Assam Bengal Navigation (ABN) who are helping to make it all possible. 

Scenic Group Founder and Chairman Glen Moroney said: “India offers extraordinary potential for luxury river cruising. Our partnership with Assam Bengal Navigation gives us the benefit of deep local expertise and an established operating platform, while allowing Scenic to bring its international experience in luxury cruising to the market”.

Indeed, as the original cruise operator along the Brahmaputra, there’s no better partner than ABN to aid Scenic with their plans to expand into this iconic waterway.

Founder and Managing Director Ashish Phookan said, “ABN has spent more than two decades developing river cruising on the Brahmaputra and Ganges. This partnership brings together our operating experience and knowledge of India’s rivers with Scenic’s global luxury cruise expertise, brand and international distribution. We believe it can significantly expand India’s position on the global river-cruise map”.

Scenic’s move into the Brahmaputra River perfectly complements the existing Hooghly 2027/28 programme, offering guests even more ways to explore this fascinating region and helping the line establish a strong foothold in India. As of now, itineraries, excursions, ship details and availability are yet to be released—watch this space!  

You can find out more about Scenic here.