Stakeholders in the north Bengal tourism industry on Tuesday expressed cautious optimism over the possible resumption of Bangladeshi tourist inflow after Tarique Rahman of the BNP took oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

However, stakeholders added that the revival of cross-border tourism would depend largely on diplomatic developments and the restoration of mutual trust between the two neighbouring nations.

Following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, and subsequent unrest and strained bilateral ties, India severely restricted visa services for Bangladeshi nationals, limiting issuance almost exclusively to urgent medical and emergency cases.

But before that, Bangladesh accounted for the highest number of foreign tourists to India, including Bengal.

Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, termed the swearing-in of the new Prime Minister as “good news”.

“We are hopeful that people-to-people as well as government-to-government relations will improve between India and Bangladesh. This can eventually resume the movement of tourists between both countries. But integrity and repute of our country come first, even if it affects our business,” Sanyal said.

Tourism veterans highlighted that in 2019, 23.58 per cent of India’s total foreign tourists were from Bangladesh.

The figure stood at 22.26 per cent in 2023, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 published by the Union tourism ministry.

However, following political unrest in August 2024, Bangladesh’s share of foreign tourists in India dropped to 17.59 per cent, while the US moved ahead with 18.13 per cent.

A senior hotelier in Siliguri noted that since 2018, when Sikkim was opened to Bangladeshi tourists, their inflow increased significantly in north Bengal and adjoining areas.

Data suggests that in 2024, about 80.37 per cent of Bangladeshi tourists visiting India traveled to eastern states, including Bengal.

“It is definitely a positive development that an elected government will finally run the country. But several ancillary factors will determine whether the gates will reopen for Bangladeshi tourists,” the Siliguri hotelier said.

Following anti-India protests in Bangladesh last year, several hotels in and around Siliguri had announced restrictions on Bangladeshi guests.

“We are waiting for further developments before reconsidering our decision,” the hotelier added.

Debashis Chakraborty, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association, acknowledged the downturn.

“Due to the political upheaval in Bangladesh, our sector has been affected. We hope bilateral relations improve and people resume traveling between the two countries. Those associated with the tourism industry in Bangladesh also have a role to play,” he said.

According to official data, Bengal ranked second among Indian states in terms of hosting foreign tourists in 2024, with 3.12 million foreign tourists visiting the state.