A three-day festival to promote homestays and rural tourism facilities in the hills and the plains of north Bengal will commence on February 28.

The fifth edition of the Bengal Himalayan Carnival will be hosted by the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) in association with the Bengal tourism department.

Tanmoy Goswami, the joint secretary of HHTDN, said on Wednesday that the event had been launched in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic to showcase remote rural areas and promote the ethnic lifestyle, cultural activities, cuisines and landscapes.

“We have been organising the event in remote villages of north Bengal to promote tourism activities at such places,” he said.

“In the fifth edition of the carnival, we will hold events at Toribari, a hamlet on the outskirts of Siliguri, on Friday. On Saturday (March 1), it will be held at Rishyap in Kalimpong while the closing ceremony will take place at Sonada in Darjeeling district on March 2,” Goswami added.

This year, the carnival will be held on the theme “Living Buddhism — the essence of
Bengal Himalaya.”

“The theme has been chosen to highlight religious activities of the indigenous Buddhist communities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts,” said a source.

The three locations, which would be promoted through the fest, are nestled in the laps of nature, surrounded by forests and mountains, and dotted with homestays.

“These three places emerged as tourist spots in the past five years. We plan to boost the footfall of tourists at these places,” said Goswami.

Yuden Lepcha, a representative of the Ecotourism Homestay Association of Toribari, has said their village, which is adjacent to the Bengal Safari Park, has seven homestays.

“The area has developed because of the open-air zoological park and a monastery. Also, the hills are nearby and people can take a trip to Sevoke and other places,” Lepcha said.

Another off-beat location is Sonada in the Darjeeling hills, a hamlet that is barely 17km from the hill town of Darjeeling. The area has around 100 homestays now.

Nirupama Moktan, secretary of the Sonada Homestay Association, said there are many
spots like Chatakpur, Indreni Falls (a popular waterfall), and attractive trekking routes in
their place.

“We want to promote Sonada which is situated on the outskirts of Darjeeling and far from the hustle and bustle of city life. By staying at the local ecotourism spot, one can enjoy the beautiful waterfall or take a walk along the Old Military Road and Chimney,” Moktan, who is busy making arrangements for the final day of the carnival, said.

At all the three locations, including Rishyap of Kalimpong, there will be cultural activities and, a display of local cuisines and handicrafts, during the fest.

“We are expecting a steady turnout of tourists and locals during the fest in all the three venues,” Goswami added.