Tourism minister Babul Supriyo in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)West Bengal tourism minister Babul Supriyo on Tuesday said the state government was holding talks with various industries to boost tourism in the state, particularly during the Durga Puja celebrations.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata, Supriyo said, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is serious about the tourism sector. She has formed seven sub-groups. We have categorised the sub-groups to improve each sector. We are also focusing on religious, cultural and heritage tourism. We are holding brainstorming sessions to come up with innovative ideas.”
He said that Bengal was the fifth most visited state in the country by domestic tourists and ranked seventh when it comes to international visitors.
“We have to improve this as we have the potential. The UNESCO has included Kolkata’s Durga Puja on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We are trying to utilise this to try and do something around the festival. We would appeal to hotel and restaurant industry to come up with 10- or 15-day tour packages during Durga Puja. They may also offer similar packages during Gangasagar Mela. This would definitely give thrust to the tourism sector,” said Supriyo at a session organised by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) in Kolkata.
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HRAEI president Sudesh Poddar appealed to the minister to come up with a single-window platform to help hotels and restaurants acquire licences without hassle.
The minister also slammed the BJP for allegedly using central agencies against opposition parties in an attempt to topple government in various states. “From West Bengal to Delhi and from Maharashtra to Telangana, the BJP is using agencies,” he said.