Thursday 18th April 2024
As a further step in boosting Indo-Nepal tourism cooperation, tourism industry stakeholders of North Bengal and Nepal have decided to develop a ‘integrated tourism circuit’ covering the two regions.
A decision in this regard was taken at the 3rd Indo-Nepal Friendship Meet jointly organized by the office of the Nepal Consulate General’s in Calcutta and the Association for Conservation & Tourism (ACT) in Mirik.
As part of the event, concerned stakeholders and people in the border areas of both the regions decided to discuss with their respective governments on ways to enhance road connectivity, promote homestay accommodation in Nepal and conduct publicity campaigns through relevant agencies and boards.
The two sides discussed to launch special campaigns promoting tourism destinations of both the regions in December 2018.
It is the nearest metro that generates a huge number of tourists every year. There will be a Himalayan Orange Tourism Festival in Calcutta in December, where the destinations on both sides of the border will be highlighted – Samrat Sanyal, Travel Trade Expert
The latest decision is coming as a result of rounds of deliberations between the concerned stakeholders over the period to develop a combined tourist circuit promoting tourism potential of both regions.
What Stakeholders Said?
According to the stakeholders, the plan to develop an integrated circuit will boost the tourist sectors of north Bengal and eastern Nepal.
Along with the campaign plan for new destinations, we also intend to focus on conservation of nature and wildlife. In this region, it is necessary to work for conservation of the elephant, red panda and the salamander. There should be an elephant sanctuary in eastern Nepal –Raj Basu, Representative of ACT
Sanyal further informed that a special meeting would be also held in eastern Nepal bringing together the other adjoining countries in the exercise for a combined promotion of tourist destinations in these countries.
The idea is to offer a larger canvas to tourists so that they can have more choices and simultaneously help in economic empowerment of stakeholders, particularly in rural areas, adds Sanyal.
On the occasion, Basu highlighted that the achievement of the Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It is necessary to increase the scope of the site to contiguous areas in eastern Nepal and the Himalayan tracts of Bengal, adds Basu.
Stakeholders further added that they would also press for development of new tourism information centers in Mirik close to the India-Nepal border to promote destinations on either side of the Indo-Nepal border.
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