Development of tourism has been identified as one of the key priority areas for West Bengal’s new government; the government is focusing on creating more innovative and diversified products that will increase the number of tourist arrivals to the state. While speaking to Express TravelWorld, Goutam Deb, Tourism Minister of West Bengal, said, “One of our thrust areas would be to develop the tourism infrastructure in North Bengal, one of the most visited places by Europeans.”
Deb, who hails from Siliguri-Jalpaiguri belt in North Bengal, was the North Bengal Development Minister in the earlier term of the present regime and has played a key role in developing several tourist spots in North Bengal. He commented, “Darjeeling, Dooars and terrai region in North Bengal, which are the most visited places in the state by both domestic and foreign tourists would be further developed.”
He pointed out that the state tourism department is in close co-ordination with other state government departments and agencies like forest, power and PWD are developing a mega tourism project at Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri district of the state.
Christened, ‘Bhorer Alo’, by CM Mamata Banerjee, the project would be fully operational within the next two-three years. The project is expected to be a key in revitalising tourism in North Bengal and when fully operational it promises to be one of the biggest eco-tourism hubs in the country.
The Gajoldoba project coming up on 208 acres of land on the banks of the Teesta barrage offers views of Mt Kanchenjunga and is a key address of wintering waterfowls. The state government has invested Rs 120 crore into building the infrastructure to support the proposed hub – three roads connecting the project site with the national highway, a power station for steady supply of electricity and sewerage network. The site is 25 km away from Siliguri, the gateway of North Bengal and 40 km from Bagdogra airport.
The eco-tourism hub will provide facilities for boating in the waterbodies, jungle safari on elephants in the nearby Baikunthapur Forest, bird-watching at the adjacent bird sanctuary and several such options. “The proposed site will have a nine-hole golf course, a nature park, an amusement park, a full-fledged hotel management institute (IHM) and a number of budget and luxury hotels,” informed Deb.
“Two firms, Summit Group and Seal Group, have won the bids to develop two budget hotels at the eco-tourism hub,” revealed A R Bardhan, principal secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal.
Sterling Holiday Resorts, a wholly owned independently managed subsidiary of Thomas Cook India has won the bid to build a star-category eco-resort at the hub. These three hotels together will attract an investment of Rs 200 crore. The hub is expected to attract a private investment of Rs 500 crore in the first phase.
Besides these, the state tourism department is setting up luxury cottages at the proposed site and the Department of Youth Services is in the process of constructing a youth hostel at the eco-tourism hub. Bardhan stated, “To promote skill development, the state government has earmarked five acres of land within the proposed site for setting up a full-fledged Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in collaboration with the Government of India. The proposed institute will provide training and education in food craft and hospitality management.”
In a related development, the minister informed that the Tourism Department is developing luxury cottages at Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, which is likely to be operational before the Durga Pujas next year.
