BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 6 SEPTEMBER 2022
After bagging the UNESCO World Heritage tag for the Durga Puja , the state has added another feather in its cap, the best destination for culture.
Chief Minister, Miss. Mamata Banerjee tweets, “ I am proud to announce that Pacific Area Travel Writers Association, an affiliate of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will confer WB with the International Travel Award 2023, for Best Destination for Culture.
Bengal has made its mark in the global cultural map.” The CM further adds that, “ The award will be conferred in Berlin, at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders’ Summit on 9th March, 2023 in presence of Ministers and Secretaries from different countries including India. I congratulate all residents of Bengal on this momentous occasion.”
“ West Bengal is the land where Culture, Heritage, Music, Literature, History meet. It is a place where the Himalayas meet the Sea and the Sundarbans meet the Tea Gardens. It’s the land where the rich work of Nobel Laureate Tagore, meets the amazing talent of Oscar winner Satyajit Ray. It’s where Religious places of all religions meet the various forms of architectural delights we have here. It’s the land where we unite in diversity,” says state tourism minister Mr. Babul Supriyo.
“Absolutely elated though not surprised with West Bengal winning this international recognition. Under the leadership of our CM Miss Mamata Banerjee , we are committed to live up to it and work hard to make it a Tourist Haven in the days to come,”further added. Mr. Babul Supriyo.
Talking to The Travel and Tourism Times, Mr. Anil Punjabi, Chairman ( East) of Travel Agents Federation of India(TAFI) said that it’s a big honour for India and the credit goes to the state government, the they have tied up with private, corporate sector and travel agents in celebrating this year’s Durga Puja Carnival, he is sure that it will beat the world famous carnival of the grandeur of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
“ From here every year the business will grow. Eastern India can offer many things to the tourists and has hills, beaches, resorts, temples, mangrove forests etc. Tourism here is inexpensive and affordable compared to the rest part of the country and we offer value for money,”said Mr. Anil Punjabi.
Mr. Manav Soni, Chairman (East) of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) said that the entire tourism department under the guidance of the chief minister is really doing a great job in promoting West Bengal as the biggest destination in Eastern India.
“ Current steps taken to promote tourism in the state along with all the stakeholders and setting up a Task Force to expedite in solving the problems in the ground levels are very much commendable,” Mr. Manav Soni added.
PATWA promotes the professional development of travel communication and media. PATWA hands out the prestigious PATWA International travel awards at ITB, Berlin every year.
The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) is a NGO (non government organisation) which was founded in 1998, at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
PATWA’s founding philosophy is to support PATA’s primary objectives of being a catalyst for responsibly developing the travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region.
PATWA works with both the public and private sectors to support sustainable growth and improve the quality of travel and tourism.
PATWA adheres to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations (UN) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The PATWA International Travel Awards are handed out once a year in March at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest travel and trade fair.
The PATWA International Travel Awards have earned a reputation as one of the most coveted and sought after awards of the travel trade and are now in their 18th year since they were incepted in 1999.
These awards recognise individuals and organisations that have excelled and / or are involved in the promotion of tourism from different sectors of the travel trade such as aviation, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, destinations, government bodies, tourism ministries and other service provider(s) related directly or indirectly to the industry.
A secret jury comprising PATWA members, officials and mystery travellers judge the shortlisted names that meet the necessary criteria. The nominees are evaluated on various pre-set standards with an extensive audit, as necessary. The winners are decided at the PATWA international council meeting held annually.
Incidentally, according to the new tourism policy of the state, out of the seven theme based tourism sectors to be explored , culture and heritage has been placed in the number one position.
West Bengal is regarded as the cultural hub of the country and has produced a galaxy of legends like Gurudeb Rabindra Nath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Satyajit Roy, Ritwick Ghatak, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Swami Vivekananda etc.
The metro railways has already provided additional trains from 3 October to meet the huge rush on weekends for Durga Puja shopping. Now the state transport department has also come ahead with additional government bus services to meet the huge rush for puja shopping as only 25 days are now remaining for the first fully open Durga Puja since the past two years .
From 10 September to 25 September, these additional state buses will ply in nine bus routes touching all the shopping hubs ( Esplanade, Gariahat, Shyam Bazar etc ) of the city and in front of these buses it will be written, ‘Puja Special Buses’, says transport minister Snehashish Chakraborty.
I am proud to announce that
Pacific Area Travel Writers Association, an affiliate of the UN World Tourism Organisation will confer WB with the International Travel Award 2023, for Best Destination for Culture.
Bengal has made its mark in the global cultural map.
(1/2)— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 5, 2022
The award will be conferred in Berlin, at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders’ Summit on 9th March, 2023 in presence of Ministers and Secretaries from different countries including India.
I congratulate all residents of Bengal on this momentous occasion.
(2/2)— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 5, 2022
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