KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday
launched the state tourism department’s brand identity and new logo showcasing the sector on the global map to woo tourists across the world.
The tagline for the new logo is ‘West Bengal: Where Indian Feels Different’.
The chief minister announced several projects to revive the tourism
sector in the state. Adhikari announced a Rs 500 crore package for the development of the state's tourism sector.
He said, “Tourists rush for neighbouring Sikkim through our Bengal, but we want to change this trend to attract more travel-loving people to visit our state. We will renovate and modernise all government guest houses across the state from Sundarbans to Darjeeling.”
“Our government has already decided to launch ‘water metro’ service along the Ganga in Kolkata as a major initiative to revive the commercial and tourism transport system. Kolkata will be the 17th city in the country where ‘water metro’ service will be available soon,” he added.
"With the launch of the brand identity and new logo of the state tourism department, a new chapter aiming to showcase Bengal’s huge tourism sector with its vast natural beauty, traditional culture and hospitality on the international map began today," said State Tourism Minsiter Shankar Ghosh, while addressing the programme.
State Industry Minister Tapas Roy, retired IAD and Chief Advisor to the chief minister Dr Subrata Gupta, among others, were present on the occasion.
In a bid to upgrade the tourism sector in the state, the state tourism department has decided to take several initiatives.
The tourism department has already 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.
The tourism 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 “One District, One Destination", every district can identify tourism spots in their respective areas so that Bengal can be made a tourism destination of international standard.
As a result of which, tourists will visit the state for 365 days instead of any specific season, as per the sources in the tourism department.
The sources also said that there are 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.
“These amenity centres will provide tourists with short-term resting spaces and basic recreational facilities. They will also have facilities for tourists
travelling with infants, along with bio-toilets,” sources said.
Recently, Ghosh held a meeting with Suvendu on the proposed initiatives.
Sources said Suvendu has offered several suggestions to the department, with particular emphasis on exploring river-based tourism and developing ropeways in tourist areas across the state.
The government also plans a 1,000-capacity yoga centre in north Bengal, inspired by PM Modi’s yoga practice.
The chief minister has asked the tourism minister to identify suitable land so work can begin soon. Moreover, ropeways are being viewed not only as a way to offer tourists a new experience but also as an alternative mode of transport.
The government also plans steps to boost destination weddings across Bengal. The government also stressed the need to identify at least one major tourist destination in every district.
