Lockdown a body blow to tourism in north Bengal

Hundreds of tour operators, hotel and homestay owners are staring at a bleak future for the second consecutive year in north Bengal, which sees Rs 9 crore worth of business in normal times.

Kolkata (West Bengal): A lethal second wave of Covid-19 and the restrictions across West Bengal has yet again spelt doom for the travel and tourism sector of the state, mostly in north Bengal and across the Himalayan regions and the Terai and Dooars areas.

Hundreds of tour operators, hotel and homestay owners as well as those in the transport business are staring at a bleak future for the second consecutive year. Even before they tried to make up for the gross loss of business during the nationwide lockdown last year, the industry has again fallen facedown.

An average estimate of the North Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry indicates that around 20 lakh people are directly and indirectly related to the tourism industry across North Bengal, which also acts as a gateway to the pristine tourist spots across the entire Northeast and Sikkim.

People familiar with the industry say, the sector also eyes a sizable chunk of foreign tourists every year and during normal season, around Rs 9 crore worth of business is done. This has virtually plummeted to zero in the past two years.

Around 10 lakh tourists visit North Bengal and around 2 lakh are foreigners.

Picturesque locations in the tea gardens and along the Teesta River are lying vacant in the Terai and Dooars.

From Gazoldoba to Bengal Safari Park, the wildlife sanctuaries of Mahanada, Jaldapara, Samsing to the Himalayan resort of Darjeeling are deserted.

Nathu La Pass in Sikkim and locations along Yumthung and Gurudongmar lake are without tourists. Many tour operators and transport workers have changed their jobs due to lack of business.

“Our loss during the first lockdown last year was pegged at around Rs 100 crore. We had made some plans to make a recovery route this year, at least to some extent. Now this second wave and the lockdown have simply broken the back of the tourism sector of North Bengal.," said Samrat Sanyal, secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality Tour Development Network.

If the Centre and State government do not assist us, then this industry will not turn around anytime soon,” Sanyal told Etv Bharat.

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“The most badly hit are the hotel and homestay owners as well as tour operators. Along with this, there used to be a chain industry supplementing the tourism sector revolving around religious sites and locations. That chain has taken a massive hit. All package tour bookings had to be cancelled en masse,” said Raju Bose, convenor of the Association for Conservation and Tourism.

Tour operators say, leave alone tourists from other states, local enthusiasts are also not visiting.

“People are very scared and rightly so, they are shying away from venturing outside. We simply do not know how the vehicle owners will pay their loan instalments or renew their insurance. It is now a hand to mouth situation,” says Jayanta Majumdar, secretary of the Siliguri Transport Operator Association.

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Hotels and homestays across the region are lying vacant.

“Around 75,000 rooms are lying vacant at this moment. An informal estimate indicates around 22,000 hotel workers have been laid off. If again the sector revives, how many of them will be available for work is uncertain. How the sector will turn around is anybody’s guess,” Ujjwal Ghosh, executive president of the Greater Hoteliers’ Welfare Association, told Etv Bharat.

With an uncertain future, the tourism sector of Bengal, especially across North Bengal is literally gasping for breath.

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