From snow-capped mountains to the world’s greatest delta, the state is a paradise for discerning travellers. Its Tourism Minister, Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, tells Aparna Sengupta that with a host of new projects, the state will soon be among the top five travel destinations of India
What are your upcoming projects in West BengalIJ
I believe West Bengal has everything that a traveller desires for, especially a vast reserve of nature. Therefore, we have three ambitious projects in the pipeline. They are — Jharkali in Sundarbans, Sabuj Dweep in Nadia district and Gajoldoba near Siliguri. These projects are expected to attract investments of up to Rs 5,000 crore, thereby improving the tourist inflow. land and infrastructure will be provided by the government, while eco-system for tourism promotion will be developed by private players on the PPP model. The tenders for the projects have been floated and they are likely to be finalised within next three-four months.
In Sunderbans, we will develop jungle safari cruise. We are structuring Gajoldoba as an integrated multi-product tourism hub. Tourists will get a chance to visit a range of wildlife parks — the Gorumara National park, the Chapramari wildlife sanctuary, the Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary, the Buxa tiger reserve, the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary, the Baikunthapur forest and the Neora valley in this belt. In Jharkhali, we will develop an eco-tourism park.
How will these projects help the common manIJ What is the budget allocation for tourismIJ
Since tourism is being considered a priority sector, it will provide a lot of jobs in the time to come. There is a need to adopt pro-poor tourism for increasing net benefits to the poor. Tourism plays a key role in socio-economic progress through creation of jobs, enterprise, infrastructure and revenue earnings. In the current fiscal year, we have earmarked an amount of Rs 120 crore to tourism, leading to a 33 per cent increase in the tourism budget as compared to last year.
You are currently involved in promoting Durga Puja in Kolkata by organising roadshows across the country. Tell us about it.
The Durga Puja carnival is one of the biggest socio-cultural events in West Bengal. So we have organised road shows across major cities in India to familiarise people with the Bengali culture. The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation has come up with 17 Puja packages for the road show. Apart from that, a number of private tour operators, Air India and hotels have announced their own packages at the road show in order to attract tourists.
How do you intend to make travelling safer in West BengalIJ
We will soon launch toll free numbers for tourists, where in case of emergency, they can call up the police. Besides that there will be tourist police squads and training institutes for the workforce involved in tourism activities. Also, the crime rate is low in the state and therefore, women tourists can safely travel here.
How are you promoting beach tourismIJ
The coastal strip of West Bengal presents some beautiful options in sea resorts — Digha, Shankarpur and Mandarmoni. We are planning to start open-air restaurants, adventure sports and introduce cruise tourism at these places.
The West Bengal government is giving incentives to airlines to increase flights to certain destinations. Tell us how it will provide a boost to tourismIJ
The Government has decided to give 50 per cent rebate on tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) sold to any airline from Kolkata airport compared to corresponding ATF in 2012-13. Thus effective rate of tax on ATF on excess quantity of fuel consumed will come down from existing 30 per cent to 15 per cent. The Chief Minister has also declared total sales tax exemption on ATF sold from Coochbehar and Bagdogra airports for three years to boost trade and tourism. We are in talks with Pawan Hans and soon will provide helicopter services in Durgapur and the Sunderbans.
Are you also planning to give a boost to the hospitality industryIJ
We have invited investments from the hospitality industry for opening hotels, resorts, and homestays in the outskirts of Darjeeling for sustaining the increasing footfalls to the hills. We plan to set up a hospitality management training institute and invited private sector’s participation in this. We are also mooting the idea of starting tours of the residences/places of work of famous iconic personalities of Bengal like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa and others.We also wish to promote medical tourism, involving Bengal’s associations in foreign countries and other states of India.