The Kalimpong district administration has set in motion the process of preparing a road map for promoting tourism with a focus on adventure activities and community development.

The plan for the tourism promotion was disclosed by district magistrat Balasubramanian T. at a programme on Friday to celebrate the formation of the district eight years ago.

“Tourism is a major source of livelihood for Kalimpong residents. Considering this, we have been focusing on sustainable community-based tourism activities and exploring various options to prepare a roadmap for tourism,” he said at the event in Town
Hall, Kalimpong.

The administration, Balasubramanian said, is regularly in touch with stakeholders of the tourism industry and working with them to improve different areas of tourism.

“Many youths here are involved in adventure activities, including group trekking. The Neora Valley National Park and some other biodiversity spots provide opportunities to promote environment-based tourism,” he added.

“We are encouraging youngsters to promote adventure activities like group trekking. Apart from that, for environment-based tourism activities, the skill development training is provided for guide training, bird watching and hospitality management,” said Balasubramanian.

Sources in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) said they had already planned to promote the district as the new hub for adventure tourism. The GTA’s tourism department has identified several areas on the riverbanks to start hot-air ballooning, camping, hiking and water sports.

The district has around 1,000 homestays.

Along with tourism, the administration is also focusing on setting up small industrial units like fruit processing, agro-based industries, and horticulture-based units. “There are a total of 4,310 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) units registered in the district and 10 MSME clusters are functional. Efforts are also on to set up new clusters for mushroom and handloom,” said a source.