‘Over 27L foreign tourists came to Bengal in first half of 2025’

Kolkata: Bengal has seen a notable surge in foreign tourist arrivals this year, with the count surpassing 27 lakh (2.7 million) in just the first six months. However, the number of tourists from Bangladesh has declined during the same period.

“A large number of tourists have arrived from Europe and the United States, but there has been a slight dip in the number of tourists from Bangladesh,” said state Tourism minister Indranil Sen, during the question-answer session in the state Assembly.

According to Sen, from January to June this year, a total of 27,11,708 foreign tourists visited the state. Among them, approximately 1.8 lakh (180,000) were from Bangladesh. In comparison, around 32 lakh (3.2 million) foreign tourists visited West Bengal last year, including 1.82 lakh (182,000) from Bangladesh.

The minister attributed the growing number of foreign visitors to the development of eco-friendly tourism infrastructure and the availability of international-standard food and hospitality services. “Tourists from countries like Russia, the USA, Italy and the UK have shown significant interest in Bengal,” Sen added.

The minister also praised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s initiatives in boosting tourism. He noted that the political instability in North Bengal, which once discouraged visitors, has significantly declined since the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011.

“As a result, the region is now witnessing a major increase in tourist footfall,” he said Highlighting recent developments, Sen informed the House that a new tourism centre was inaugurated on April 22, and stated that the tourism department is providing full support to local entrepreneurs to promote tourism-based businesses.

In a step towards human resource development, the minister said that 1,022 certified tourist guides have been trained in the state since 2021, the highest in India. He expressed optimism that the tourism sector would create new employment opportunities in the coming years.

Interestingly, Siliguri MLA and Chief Whip of the Opposition Sankar Ghosh acknowledged and appreciated the state’s progress in the tourism sector. Sen also told the Assembly that Bengal has the highest number of certified tourist guides among all states in India.

So far, 1,022 tourist guides have received certificates since the Tourism Department introduced the Tourist Guide Certification Scheme in the state.