Tourism dept looks to run 100 properties across Bengal

Kolkata: The state Tourism department has set a target to develop and run as many as 100 properties in different parts of the state.

"The work in this direction has already started and arrangements have already been made for running more than 40 such properties. The District Magistrates are also helping the department in this initiative. Rajasthan runs 67 properties on its own. We are optimistic of surpassing Rajasthan in this area in the next few years," state Tourism minister Goutam Deb said at the inauguration of a three-day Tourism Fair named "Weekend Wonders" at Allen Park in Park Street.

The fair is being organised by the Bengal Chamber

of Commerce, in collaboration with the state Tourism department.

"Bengal has a wide variety of tourist destinations that include the hills, the seas and the forests. There are also places of historical and religious

interest. We have developed a number of tourist destinations and people are pouring in

from all parts of the state,''

Deb said.

According to the minister, a number of weekend spots have been emerging in the state. "We would like to take the weekend destination spots outside of the state as well as the country. After the development of the Western part of Bengal, we have found a large number of people coming and visiting the state. Digha and the Sunderbans have always been a favourite weekend spot. However, Purulia and Jhargram are also catching up, with a huge boost in tourism infrastructure in these areas," Deb added.

He mentioned that a bridge is coming up to reduce travel time to Bakkhali, which is another major destination for sea lovers.

"It takes a lot of time to travel to Bakkhali on the barge used for crossing over the Hatania Doania river. The new bridge will be operational by the middle of 2019 and then, Bakkhali can be reached in a shorter time than Digha. There are destinations like Henry's Island, Frasergunj and Sagar, which are not far from Bakkhali," he added.

Avijit Das, chairperson of the Tourism Committee of the Chamber, said: "This fair is one of its kind with the aim to exclusively educate tourists and promote multiple weekend destinations in and around Bengal."

Last year, the Chamber had launched a tourism website –www.bengalweekend.com, which has become very popular.