(“A ROADMAP FOR BENGAL’S TOURISM RENAISSANCE : LEADERS OF ALL TRAVEL TRADE FRATERNITY OF STATE WELCOMES AND ASSURES THEM OF ALL SUPPORT WITH PROPOSALS TO MAKE BENGAL THE NEXT TOURISM HUB OF THE COUNTRY,” SAYS MR. DEBJIT DUTTA)
BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 10 JUNE
“The new government in West Bengal has a unique opportunity to position tourism as a powerful catalyst for economic growth, employment
generation, investment, and cultural preservation and welcoming the new tourism minister and Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh and minister of state tourism and Shyampukur MLA , Purnima Chakraborty said the leaders of the tourism industry of the state today. With two tourism ministers now, it shows that the focus of the new BJP government of the state will be to boost tourism further,” says Mr. Debjit Dutta.
( SHANKAR GHOSH, TOURISM MINISTER)
Tourism is a vital economic driver of the state , directly contributing roughly 13 percent of West Bengal’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). The sector is experiencing rapid expansion and plays a massive role in local livelihoods, generating about 6 percent of total employment in Bengal.
West Bengal attracts the second most foreign tourists in the country after Maharashtra and the Durga Puja after its Unesco’s world cultural
heritage tag has also generated huge interest amongst the foreigners in the last few years.
( PURNIMA CHAKRABORTY, MoS, TOURISM)
“While the ‘Sweetest Part of India’ campaign significantly enhanced Bengal’s tourism visibility during its time, evolving traveller
expectations and increasing global competition now calls for a refreshed and future-ready vision. Marketing remains the most critical driver of destination growth.
In recent years, especially post-pandemic, Bengal’s visibility in both domestic and international markets has not kept pace with
competing destinations that have invested aggressively in branding, promotion, and market development. This presents an opportunity for
renewed focus and strategic intervention. A key priority should be the development of ‘Experience Bengal 2.0 – Vision 2030’, positioning West Bengal as an experience-led and responsible tourism destination through immersive storytelling, focused market outreach, creator
collaborations, industry partnerships, and year-round tourism products. This can be supported through a structured marketing
roadmap, dedicated budget allocations, Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) for accredited stakeholders, and the establishment of
a West Bengal Tourism Promotion Board to ensure continuity in branding, promotion, market intelligence, and industry engagement,” adds Mr. Debjit Dutta.
(DEBJIT DUTTA)
“As the apex national body of inbound tour operators, IATO works closely with the Ministry of Tourism and state tourism departments
across India. We would be delighted to support the Government of West Bengal in preparing a comprehensive five-year tourism strategy that
can help position Bengal among India’s most competitive, sustainable, and globally recognised tourism destinations. I extend my sincere
congratulations to Shankar Singh on assuming charge as Tourism Minister. Under the leadership of CM Suvendu Adhikari, the tourism
fraternity looks forward to working closely with the Department of Tourism to unlock Bengal’s immense tourism potential and usher in a
new era of growth, visibility, and sustainable development,” said Debjit Dutta, Chairman( West Bengal), Indian Association of Tour
Operators (IATO).
(RAJ BASU)
“ There are several gaps in policy, implementation and promotion of Tourism in Bengal, in spite of having the best biodiversity from
marine to alpine, rich cultural diversity to match, from Tribes to Tagore, the land of spiritual rising and the centre for India’s
freedom uprising, which we are sure the present government will fulfil with continuity connecting neighbours like Sikkim, Assam and
Bihar and countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Now, we should be able to see the fruition of Tourism as the key anchor industry for
Bengal,” said Raj Basu, Convenor of Association of Conservation of Tourism (ACT) and tourism advisor to several state governments of
North East India.
( ANJANI KUMAR DHANUKA)
“Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Eastern Region welcomes new tourism minister of Bengal and we have lot of expectations from
the tourism ministry as our new government has come and we have seen a lot of changes and a lot of developments in the last one month by
the new BJP government under the leadership of CM Suvendu Adhikari.
As tourism plays a vast role in the of economy and in the growth of the country and the state , city, lot of foreign countries depended solely on tourism, their main economic source is tourism. Bengal is having lot of places, lot of potential, we can have a parallel economy by increasing the tourism in the state, we have hills, river, sea, plain lands, plain lands, heritage, only thing is that if we development the proper
infrastructure and communication , transportation and highlighting the tourism places we can further develop this sector. Like Dakshineswar, Kali Temple, other temples we have to make them have modern facilities, hills like Darjeeling, develop the riverine and cruise
tourism and we can develop and decorate both sides of the river banks with proper lights of Hooghly and River Ganges and it can attract a lot
of foreign tourists . We will meet and give a proper presentation so that the government can develop the sector further and make Bengal
as the tourism hub of India. We need to start new international airlines direct connectivity to Kolkata, so that foreigners can come
directly here. This is just the beginning and we have full faith on the new government,” said Anjani Kumar Dhanuka, Chairman ( EAST) of
TAAI.
( SANJEEV MEHRA)
“ Our requirements are clear and apolitical. We need systemic management of vehicle movement in hill stations , better roads and
core infrastructure, and stronger targeted support for stakeholders genuinely working for the region’s growth . From beaches to the hills,
airports to last mile local infrastructure – the government should look into holistic development that enables sustainable tourism ,
eases travel for visitors, and empowers those seriously committed to showcasing Bengal,” said Sanjeev Mehra, National President of Skal
International India, who also hails from Kolkata.
( DR. KAULESH KUMAR)
“ Bengal has played the biggest role in spreading the Buddhist Tourism Circuit in the world. Pala Dynasty and Gupta Dynasty used to fund
and protested the famous world varsities of Bihar like Nalanda, Nalanda Old University, Odantapuri University, Vikramshila University in 4 th century AD. All these universities played a key role in making India a Visva Guru, at that time Bihar was under Bengal. Many people came here for studies around the globe and they have not only taken back knowledge and education but also arts and culture. It used to become
the trade centre and the Tamralipta was the currency of the Mughal Government. You just have to tell the rich history and stories of
these ancient Indian universities to the people staying abroad. The Indian Museum in Kolkata should be opened completely so that the
precious assets of Lord Buddha kept there for a long time can be displayed to the visitors, which will attract huge foreign tourist
footfalls. Not only Indian tourists will visit, but the foreign tourists will bring dollars and in the present geo-political situation
in the Middle east, getting additional dollars through inbound tourism from abroad will give further boost in the country’s economy and GDP.
In entire South Asia we need to connect and develop the Buddhist Tourism Circuit . Through AI and internet we could further highlight
the Buddhist Tourism Circuits which will help both, inbound, outbound and cross border tourism to grow immensely,” added Dr. Kaulesh Kumar, Secretary General of Association of Buddhist Tourism Operators (ABTO) and advisor to the union ministry of Tourism.
West Bengal truly does have it all. From the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal’s sea beaches to the majestic Himalayan peaks in the north with tea gardens, the diverse terrain offers something for every traveller. A number of Unesco World Heritage sites including the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. The state also has immense scope in film tourism having beautiful locations spanning from the extreme North like Darjeeling to the extreme South like Purulia.
Advertisement:
Add Comment