Bengal Himalayan Carnival to press for tourism dev board for Dooars

A proposal for creating a separate tourism development board with focus on the Dooars region will be floated in the 4th edition of the Bengal Himalayan Carnival. The Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) in association with the state Tourism department will organise this carnival on March 1, 2 and 3 in Lataguri, Jaldhaka and Mirik respectively.

On Wednesday, the organisers held a press conference at Siliguri Journalist’s Club. Soumajit Sarkar, Assistant Secretary of Lataguri Resort Owners Welfare Association, said: “There are a lot of tourism destinations in Dooars but people are unaware of them. These places need development. Therefore, we want a separate development board for tourism centering around Dooars. This board can help in developing the tourism industry of Dooars. We have already sent a letter to the Chief Minister through the District Magistrate of Jalpaiguri regarding the matter.”

In the three days of carnival, different traditions, culture and art of these three places will be highlighted. Raj Basu, chairman of HHTDN, said: “Although Lataguri, Mirik and Jaldhaka are old tourist destinations, these tourist centres are losing importance as tourists are now more attracted towards new offbeat destinations. Therefore, we have chosen these three places for the carnival so that these tourist spots can be rejuvenated.”

The idea of the festival is to brand Bengal Himalayas and its natural and cultural intangible heritage. The organisers are pressing hard to make it a calendar event of the Tourism department of the state with a fixed date from 2024 onwards.

Some tour operators, vloggers, social media influencers from outside will be participating in the carnival. National level tour operators are also helping in organising the carnival.