Bengal set to bag Best Cultural Destination at ITB Berlin

kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s efforts in promoting Bengal as a major cultural destination are all set for yet another global recognition. Bengal will be awarded for being the ‘Best Cultural Destination’ at ITB Berlin 2023, which happens to be the world’s biggest travel show and convention. The event is slated to be held from March 7 to 9.

Bengal has been selected for the prestigious award by PATWA (Pacific Area Travel Writers Association), an affiliate member of UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation).

Nandini Chakraborty, Principal Secretary of the state Tourism Department, will receive the award at a March 8 event. She will be accompanied by PB Salim who is the Secretary, Programme Monitoring Department with an additional charge of Secretary in CMO (Chief Minister’s Office) in charge of monitoring and coordination, and members of IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators), the national body of the tourism industry.

The IATO will be acting as co-exhibitor and will be responsible for projecting Bengal as a prime tourist destination in presence of leading inbound tour operators from various countries who will be attending the event.“We are hopeful that with such a recognition at one of the biggest international platforms for tourism, we will attract more foreign tourists to our state,” a senior official of the state Tourism department said.

Senior tourism officials from the Union government will also be attending the three-day event.“In the recent past, we have gone for wide publicity of our activities in cultural tourism through different channels, including social media. The PATWA was highly impressed with our initiative and proposed to award us and we agreed,” the official added. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed the Tourism department to take measures so that the local culture and tradition of Bengal get promoted.

Following this, the department made arrangements for hosting performances from artists showcasing their local culture at its various resorts across the state during the evening. This has been a major attraction for domestic as well as international tourists. “Durga Puja has made it to the list of Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. This new feather in the cap will further project Bengal tourism on the global map in a big way,” Debjit Dutta, state chairman of IATO said.