Bengal’s new sunrise sector

Tourists' footfalls
* Total 17.3 million:
Foreign visitors: 1.1 million (2006)................ 0.18 million (1995)
Although there has been a growth in the number of domestic tourists traveling in the state since 1996, the state has contributed three to four per cent in the country’s domestic tourist footfall.

Tourist lodges
The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited (WBTDCL) runs 38 tourist lodges of which 25 are operational. Of late, the management of 11 tourist lodges has been handed over to the private parties.
North Bengal still remains the favourite haunt of the tourists with the popular lodges located in Jaldapara, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Maithan and Sajnekhali.

New projects
The EMAR MGF group has already committed Rs 2,000 crore investment in various sectors. A memorandum of agreement ( MoA) has been signed with the WBTDC for setting up three luxury hotels in Kolkata- JW Marriot, Holiday Inn (Rs 750 crore) and Park Hyatt (Rs 750 crore).
The Sinclairs Hotels Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WBTDC and Sunderban Infrastructure Development Corporation (Rs 200 crore).
Other projects include a business hotel in Kolkata, setting up of Institute of Hotel Management in Durgapur, a golf resort in north Bengal among others.
The WBTDCL signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL& FS), a private firm, to form a joint venture company.

New trends
* Cultural tourism: This will focus upon fairs, festivals and promotion of arts and crafts of specific areas.
Popular location being Bankura.
* Plantation tourism: Steps will be taken to promote tea tourism in a systematic and eco-friendly manner without affecting the tea cultivation in any way. Popular location for boosting this form of tourism is Jalpaiguri.
* Cuisine tourism: The state government plans to promote its ethnic Bengali food, Kolkata style Muglai food and Tibetan and Nepali food of the hill areas.
* Medical tourism: With a spate of state-of-the-art medical facilities coming up, the state has the potential to draw visitors from other states and across the border that come to Kolkata for treatment. 
* Eco tourism: The state has an obvious advantage with the dense forests of Sunderbans and north Bengal. The government has opened up Jharkhali in Sunderbans for private investment.
* Highway tourism: The WBTDC plans to develop wayside amenities like motels, restaurants on highways.
* Railway tourism: The government is exploring the possibility of introducing trains like ‘Palace on Wheels’ in circuits within the state, including the Darjeeling Himalayan railway and others involving other neighbouring states like Orissa and Bihar for the Buddhist circuit.
* Historical tourism: With Murshidabad, Malda and Cooch Behar being home to the finest historical architectures, the state is keen to promote monuments like Bara Sona, Dakhil Darwajah, Qadam Rasul, mosque as popular sightseeing places. Madan Mohan Bari in Cooch Behar and Hazardwari in Murshidabad are already popular destinations.

Promotional campaigns
The government is going full steam to promote tourism after the sector had been sidelined for years together. The calendar is packed with the promotional tours like:
Suraj kund crafts mela in February 2008
‘Beautiful Bengal’ campaign, designed by the Press and Publicity Syndicate Pvt Ltd.
The Great Indian Travel Bazaar ‘08, an international tourism mart scheduled to be held in Jaipur between April 21 and 23. Tea exposition at the end of May in Las Vegas.

New initiatives:
EMAR MGF group to invest Rs 2,000 cr, plans include three luxury hotels in Kolkata.
Government hands over 11 state tourist lodges to private players.
Cultural and historical tourism to highlight exotic destinations , fairs, festivals and arts.
Govt on a promotion spree launches Beautiful Bengal campaign, will hold tea exposition in Las Vegas this May.