WBTDCL formulates tour packages for foreigners

Kolkata: As part of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's elaborate plans to showcase the diversified tourism potential of Bengal, the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDCL) has formulated some special tour packages for foreigners who have turned up in the city for the Under 17 World Cup event that kicks off from Friday. The first match in Kolkata will be held on Sunday.

As many as 10 matches including the final match will be held at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan. " The schedule of the matches to be played in Kolkata will not permit the foreigners to travel for a long tour across Bengal. So we have made short packages of two days one night or one day package for them," Managing Director of WBTDCL Tanmoy Chakraborty said.

The two day one night package involves visit to the Sunderbans — the world's largest coastal mangrove forest known for its Royal Bengal Tigers; Santiniketan — the abode of Rabindranath Tagore and a veritable nerve centre of Bengal's art and culture and Bishnupur, famous for its terracotta temples and Baluchari sarees.

The single day package will take the tourists on a visit to the places of interest in the city like the Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial and interestingly College Street popularly known as Boi Para famous for its small and big bookstores. "We have already distributed brochures at the hotels across the city where the foreign tourists have put up to inform them of the packages. Vehicles will be arranged

accordingly depending upon the footfall of tourists for the packages. We assure them of the best of arrangements at a reasonable rate as our aim is to promote tourism in a grand way," a senior official of WBTDCL said. Mexico, Spain, England and Iraq will be permanently staying in Kolkata as most of their matches are scheduled here. Two other teams Japan and New Caledonia will also come for playing in the city. Most importantly Brazil, which is one of the favourite teams, will be playing the semi-final match in Kolkata if they win in the group stage.