Kolkata: The state government plans to engage the Bengali diaspora and Durga Puja organisers abroad as ambassadors to promote Kolkata's Durga Puja as a major global tourism event and attract more international visitors to the state.
State tourism minister Shankar Ghosh said on Wednesday that the government would leverage Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage recognition for Kolkata's Durga Puja to position the festival among the world's leading cultural spectacles and build a stronger, year-round tourism ecosystem. "Durga Puja will be positioned alongside the world's leading cultural events," Ghosh said, describing the festival as a potential global brand.
The government plans to move away from isolated planning and adopt a collaborative approach that extends beyond India. "We will involve those who conduct Durga Puja abroad," Ghosh stated.
"Tourism cannot grow by a single person's whim or in silos. For this, we need the help of the central government as well as every unit in the system. We also need sweeping infrastructure upgrades," he added. A major part of the strategy will focus on preparing Bengal to handle a larger flow of domestic and international tourists through improved services.
Tourism department additional chief secretary Barun Ray said the scale of Durga Puja is unmatched, but the supporting infrastructure must rise to the same level. "Development of tourism around Durga Puja needs a lot more things like good stays, seamless transit, good food with proper hygiene and dedicated tourism circuits," Ray said. He also underlined the need for roadshows to place Kolkata's Durga Puja on the itinerary of global travellers.
Ghosh said Bengal would also use its position as a gateway to the Northeast to support tourism growth for neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The state government will introduce mandatory registration for tourism stakeholders, including tour agents, hotel and motel operators, and transport providers, to ensure minimum service standards.
"The tourism ecosystem thrives on perception and word of mouth. We don't want any tourist to return with a bad experience," Ghosh said, adding that a new email and telephone help desk would be launched for quick grievance redressal.
The tourism department will work within defined timelines to implement the plan. "I have set both short-term 90-day and long-term one-year and three-year deadlines for all stakeholders and my department," Ghosh said.
"Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often said that India's unexplored strength is tourism. If we can facilitate this properly, Bengal will become a tourism powerhouse," he added.
