kolkata: West Bengal has been adjudged as the Best Destination for Culture by a global organisation of travel writers, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.
West Bengal will receive the International Travel Award 2023, presented by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association affiliated to the UN World Tourism Organization on March 9 at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders' Summit in Berlin.
The Chief Minister tweeted: "I am proud to announce that Pacific Area Travel Writers Association, an affiliate of the UN World Tourism Organisation will confer WB with the International Travel Award 2023, for Best Destination for Culture. Bengal has made its mark in the global cultural map."
She further tweeted: "The award will be conferred in Berlin, at the World Tourism and Aviation Leaders' Summit on 9th March, 2023 in presence of Ministers and Secretaries from different countries including India.
I congratulate all residents of Bengal on this momentous occasion."
The group that has selected West Bengal for the award is a professional organisation of travel writers founded in 1998. It is an affiliated member of UNWTO (United Nation World Tourism Organisation).
It may be mentioned that Bengal's Durga Puja has received UNESCO's intangible heritage tag.
To acknowledge the UNESCO recognition a colourful procession was taken out in Kolkata on September 1. Senior UNESCO officials will join the grand carnival on Red Road on October 8.
After coming to power in 2011, Mamata Banerjee had given stressed on the development of tourism and the revival of the rich cultural heritage of West Bengal.
New tourist destinations came up across the stay with special emphasis on homestay. The tourists who have abandoned various places like Jhargram due to deterioration in the law and order situation during the Left Front regime have now come up as a major tourist destination in West Bengal.
In addition to Darjeeling, various new tourist spots have been developed in North Bengal. The state government has proposed to introduce religious tourism across the state.
Banerjee distributed musical instruments among the folk artistes and began to give a stipend worth Rs 1000 to more than 2 lakh folk artists. They perform at the programmes organised by the state government.
To promote folk culture, fairs are regularly held in rural Bengal where both domestic and foreign tourists take part. The products made by folk artisans have received global recognition. The wooden dolls of South 24-Parganas and East Burdwan, the patchitra of West Midnapore, Chau masks of Purulia, the dokras of Bankura have received global appreciation along with many others.