The Bengal government is working to establish “Brand Bengal” as a global tourism identity to attract not only more domestic visitors but also tourists from Europe, the US, Australia and other countries, state tourism minister Shankar Ghosh said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a session named “Shaping the Future of Tourism in West Bengal”, an interaction with tourism stakeholders organised by his department at a hotel in Bagdogra, Ghosh said the government was preparing a comprehensive roadmap for the initiative expected to be finalised within the next two to three months.
“The department is trying to build up ‘Brand Bengal’ in the tourism industry to attract domestic tourists as well as visitors from across the world, including Europe, USA, Australia and other countries. We are working on a plan that will take final shape within the next two to three months,” Ghosh said.
Alongside, the minister also introduced the concept of “Tourism for All”, aimed at making travel more accessible to people from all economic backgrounds.
“Earlier, tourism was largely confined to the middle class and the affluent. We have now decided to promote ‘Tourism for All’ so that even a common man can visit the tourist destinations across our state,” he said.
Highlighting north Bengal’s tourism potential, Ghosh said the region’s diverse natural beauty, the eastern Himalayas, rich cultural heritage and opportunities for adventure tourism make it one of the state’s strongest tourism assets.
He added that the government has already decided to develop Darjeeling into a world-class tourist
destination.
The state is also focusing on Digha, the Sundarbans and many religious tourism
circuits.
“Our primary objective is to promote eco-friendly, sustainable and responsible tourism across the state,” he said.
Later, Ghosh told the media the consultation was attended by representatives of the hospitality and tourism industry, including hoteliers, homestay owners, transport operators and tour operators, to incorporate stakeholders’ suggestions into future tourism policies.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, who was present at the event, said Bengal possessed immense potential to become one of India’s leading tourism hubs and urged entrepreneurs and investors to take advantage of the opportunities.
“We encouraged tourism entrepreneurs and investors to capitalise on the significant opportunities in the state, particularly in north Bengal. We also shared the state government’s commitment to creating a conducive investment environment through policy support for the development of the tourism sector,” Bista said.
Stakeholders such as Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network, and Raj Basu, convener of the Association for Conservation and Tourism, welcomed the initiative.