Tourism: ‘Sweetest Part of India’ fails to find a berth in Union Budget
Darjeeling: India’s second most popular international tourist destination found no mention in the Union Budget 2026, a move tourism stakeholders have termed a letdown. With Assembly elections approaching, they say the omission has dampened expectations for the “Sweetest Part of India.”
Bengal tourism has capitalised on its “Sweetest Part of India” branding, accounting for 14.92 per cent of India’s total foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. The state attracted 3.12 million foreign tourists that year, a 14.8 per cent rise over 2023.
“Bengal’s tourism sector has been forgotten completely in the 2026 Union Budget. It is a major disappointment. The Budget talked of Buddhist tourism circuits in the North East but totally forgot the Bengal Himalayas. There is a huge scope for both religious and cultural tourism in Bengal, yet the Centre chose to ignore it,” stated Samrat Sanyal, secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN).
He remarked that the only silver lining is the proposed high-speed railway corridor connecting Siliguri, Varanasi, and Delhi. “We don’t know when this will see the light of day. It will definitely take time” added Sanyal.
“The last few years, the Budget has been largely urban in nature. There has been emphasis on rail, air and road connectivity which indirectly gives a major boost to tourism. More people will visit with improved connectivity. However, the major problem is that nothing much is being done for the rural areas. More than 70 per cent of the population of this region lives in rural areas.
The youth are migrating owing to a lack of livelihood opportunities. This problem needs to be addressed,” stated Raj Basu, chief convenor,
Association of Conservation and Tourism (ACT). Kalimpong district has scripted a success story, boasting the highest number of homestays in the state and also the highest concentration in the country in terms of area. There are around 1135 registered homestays in Kalimpong and around 400 in Darjeeling,
“There is no specific mention of Kalimpong or Darjeeling Hill tourism, which is rather disappointing. The Hill economy is largely dependent on tourism, supporting hotels, restaurants, transport services, homestays and small businesses. Hill destinations face distinct challenges, including connectivity, infrastructure gaps and environmental sensitivity, which require targeted support rather than generic policies,” stated Siddhant Sood, president Hotel & Restaurant Association of Kalimpong.
