This Durga Puja, plans on to make tourists have tryst with local culture

KOLKATA: The state Tourism department has sensitised the staff at the resorts under its aegis to make arrangements for tourists to visit the major Pujas in close proximity of the place. Moreover, it is being planned to take tourists to nearby villages and acquaint them with the local culture and handicrafts.

"Tourists have had the liberty to book our resorts a month in advance of their scheduled visit. But, we have opened our puja bookings more than a fortnight back considering the fact that people are preferring to travel more within the state since the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020. Our resort managers have been asked to inform the tourists staying in their respective properties about the different Pujas in and around the place and arrange vehicles so that they can travel and observe the rituals as per their choice," a senior official of the state Tourism department said.

The Tourism department has 32 resorts spanned across different districts in the state that are maintained by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited (WBTDCL).

The state had renovated all the properties to make it more attractive to the tourists.

During the period between September 2020 and February 2021, WBTDCL had a good number of tourist footfalls in its resorts and garnered profit.

"Since October- November last year, we have been providing a platform to the folk artistes across the state to perform on a regular basis at our tourist properties. However, the second wave of COVID-19 stalled such activities since June. We are planning to make arrangements to take tourists in villages close to resorts for showcasing folk culture and handicrafts," the official added.

Meanwhile, several Durga puja committees have decided to allot a portion of this year's budget for humanitarian causes. Samajsebi Sangha Durga Puja, one of the big-ticket pujas in the city, said it would bear a year's educational and medical expenses of 10 children orphaned due to COVID-19.

The College Square Durga Puja committee will be distributing books and toys among children in the Sundarbans.