As the wind of change is sweeping through Bengal, the state’s tourism department is gearing up to change the face of Bengal with a host of projects to woo tourist to boost the tourism sector.
West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation has already launched its new colouful website with hues of vibrant colours with a brand new tagline ‘Experience the colours of Bengal’. “We have to move with time by adapting to newer technology and to widen the scope of our reach,” says Rajpal Singh, State tourism minister. “We want people to choose accommodation from the government guest houses, motels that were in a state of utter neglect under the previous government and are being revived and put in use,” he adds.
The revival of the tourism industry was one of the primary mandates of the Trinamool Congress in its election manifesto. Mamata Baneree’s vision to transform Kolkata to London, Digha to Goa and Darjeeling to Singapore had been under much scrutiny as the state toils with a huge debt crisis. But that does not deviate Mamata’s brigade from the course action set by their ‘Didi’.
“Currently we are focusing on the two prompt plans set by Didi in her election manifesto of transforming the Kolkata, Darjeeling and Digha on the lines of London, Switzerland and Singapore and Kolkata river front beautification proects,” informs Singh.
With the Signing of Gorkhaland Territorial Agreement (GTA), Mamata had ensured peace to the troubled North Bengal giving it a tourist boost up. “We are trying to revive the tourism industry that was disrupted by the series of agitations in hills in the past few years,” says Singh. The department is setting up log houses, motels along with tented accommodations for adventure loving tourists in Sandak Fu, the highest point in West Bengal. Setting fishing villages by the Teesta river is being planned to add more cham to the ailing tourism industry in the North. “These projects will be done through Pivate- Public Partnership where the government would provide land and infrastructure while private organization would be responsible for the maintenance,” informs Sigh.
The tourism department is also organizing the ‘Digha Beach Festival’ from 13 – 16th January that would facilitate beach sports, water sports, sea food festival, local flea market on the lines of Goa and other Beach cities. “Such kind of festivals would surely boost up the tourism opportunity at Digha and we are soon to start helicopter services from Kolkata to Digha for tourists,” informs Singh. As for Kolkata, the department has already floated Expression of Interest for the Kolkata eye, one of the proposed spectacle on the lines of the London Eye in UK. “We have received over whelming responses for the proposed project and also received interest from the UK based firm that maintains the London Eye,” says Singh. If all goes well, ‘Beautiful Bengal’ will once again throng with vibrant tourism industry as this is something close to the CM’s heart.
