KOLKATA: West Bengal tourism department is all set to turn the State into a travel destination throughout the year. It has decided to give district administrations more powers to undertake tourism development projects, while adopting a “One District, One Destination” policy to promote the State’s diverse tourism potential.
While announcing the new policy at the Udayachal Tourism Property in Salt Lake on Monday evening, the State tourism minister Shankar Ghosh said that his department would help district administrations and local bodies prepare detailed project reports (DPR) and implement tourism projects in their respective areas across the State.
Through the “One District, One Destination” policy, the department can identify tourism spots in their respective areas to upgrade Bengal into a tourism destination of international standard.
"As a result, tourism seasons will exist in the state for 365 days instead of being season-based,” the tourism minister said.
Ghosh also said that a coordination cell comprising officials of districts, sub-divisions, blocks and concerned MLAs in each district in the state will be created.
“We have received proposals from lawmakers, tourism stakeholders and individuals for tourism projects in different districts. However, we noted that district administrations did not have the authority to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) on prospective tourism projects or execute such projects,” he said.
“We have decided that our department will assist the administrations in different districts and local bodies in preparing and implementing these projects through the urban development and municipal affairs department,” he added.
The minister also announced plans for setting up 1,000 tourist amenity centres across the State to provide visitors with basic facilities, including drinking water, resting spaces and other arrangements for parents travelling with infants.
The minister said he had held meetings with representatives of more than 450 agencies involved in destination wedding planning.
The tourism department has also planned to set up a hotel management institution at Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the State.
“The institute would help create the trained workforce required in the tourism sector,” he said.