New Initiatives to
Showcase W. Bengal's
Tourism Potential
Dr. G.D. Gautama, IAS, Principal Secretary in West Bengal Government's Department of Tourism and Cottage & Small-Scale Industries, is the man credited with leading the IT turnaround in the state. In his new assignment, he has initiated a number of measures to revamp tourism in the state, with the same zeal and aggressive marketing as he did for the IT sector.
Dr. Gautama speaks to U.S. Pandey.

The State of West Bengal has always been regarded as one with tremendous potential. Why has it not been in the same league as some of the other popular tourism destinations in the country?
It is true we have not been able to harness the potential which our State offers in the tourism sector. The state has much to offer to tourists and is blessed with
the snow-capped Himalayas, sea beaches, forests and many other landscapes which are a delight for the tourists. We have, unfortunately, not been able to market the tourism potential of the State. The plans are afoot to address this deficiency in a very big way and recover the lost ground.

What are you doing regarding this?
To start with we have appointed Ernst & Young as consultants to work out our road map in the tourism sector. We are also going to appoint a professional PR agency which will assist us to tap both domestic and international market more effectively. We are also working towards an aggressive website besides increasing our participation in both domestic and international fora to project what West Bengal has to offer in the tourism sector.

What are the other marketing initiatives that have already been set into motion ?
We participated at ITB Berlin this year, which was held from 6th to 11th March. During the exposition, we presented the tourism potential of our State to the international community. India was a partner country at the fair this year. There were a number of queries about West Bengal. We were able to showcase our state to the international community. This would help us both in investment in the tourism sector, as well as in attracting more tourists. We are also participating in various seminars/exhibitions to showcase the huge potential our State has in the tourism sector.
The Royal Bengal Tiger once used to be a very popular mascot for the tourism department.
Yes, the Sundarban Tourism circuit is extremely popular. Apart from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Sundarbans is another world heritage site in our State. The Central government is going to appoint a consultant soon for the Sundarbans which will address issues related to tourism, ecology, infrastructure and related activities.
There are other important sectors as well in the state.
Apart from the Sundarban circuit we have a number of circuits like the Wildlife tourism circuit, the tea tourism circuit of North Bengal, the Kolkata circuit, the Hill tourism circuit and the Heritage circuit. They offer huge delight and pleasure to the tourists.

What are you doing on other segments of tourism ?
We do get a huge number of medical tourists from the neighboring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, apart from other places in the region since the medical facilities here are cheaper and better. We are looking to promote tea tourism, heritage and medical tourism in the state in a big way. River tourism also has a huge potential and there are exciting heritage sites on the banks of the river Ganges offering glimpses of the Colonial era right from Kolkata to Murshidabad.

Although Bengal has had such rich history, the heritage tourism sector has not realized its potential. What are your plans on this front?
There are some interesting plans to showcase the historic battlefield of Plassey and exhibit the artistic works of our terracotta craftsmen at Birbhum and Bankura. The age-old imperial buildings of Kolkata and the fabulous heritage sites at Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and Bishnupur are no less remarkable. We are going to project them as tourist destination in a very big way.

We do not seem to get the high-end tourists to the Digha beach?
Unfortunately, nature has not given us the blue water in this beach. Still, it has huge potential to attract tourists. Central government recently has sanctioned a project to develop the tranquil beach resorts of Shankarpur and Digha.

Tourism Infrastructure has been one of the weak links in the state. What kind of infrastructure development are you planning?
We are already working on one-stop destination for tourism related activities to come up at Kolkata and Siliguri. We are looking at a number of possibilities like Jungle resorts for a niche market. We are also looking at possibilities for concept tourism and a number of other facilities like highway amenities with restaurants, waiting rooms, parking area, landscaping and handicraft centers. Eco resorts can bring in instant market recognition. A number of other capital intensive ventures are being planned on the PPP mode.

How would you visualize tourism growing as an industry in the state in the next few years?
Being the largest employment provider, tourism is a part of service industry that can change the face of any economy. Infrastructure has to be beefed up along with other strategies on which we are continuously working. We are very hopeful that soon we shall be able to position Bengal on the tourist map of the world. We are trying our best to offer a boost to the tourist hotspots of Bengal. The state is witnessing huge growth and tourism is going to play a vital role in positioning the state as an economic powerhouse.