Covid restrictions on tourism: Silent falls the winter snow on Darjeeling

The thick cloak of ice sheet in various places of North Bengal went for a toss with covid restrictions looming over tourism, leaving tour operators anguish with their hotels being empty in the snowfall of Darjeeling.

Siliguri: The Queen of the Hills, Darjeeling, has turned white this winter. With fresh snowfall today, one of the famous hill stations of the east is decked up with all its beauties. And not only Darjeeling town, snowfall has been reported from adjacent Tiger Hills, Chatakpur, Jalapahar, Jorebunglow and Ghoom areas. But, there are hardly any tourists to witness the cloak of snow covering Darjeeling, thanks to the third wave of Coronavirus and the state government’s strict restrictions on entry to all tourist destinations, forest reserves and nature parks.

Since the waning of the second wave, the government had eased the restrictions and had allowed tourism activities in the Hills and Dooars region with Covid-protocols in place. The tourism industry of north Bengal, which surrounds Darjeeling and adjoining hilly areas as well as lush green forests and tea gardens of the Dooars, had breathed a sigh of relief. But, all that had abruptly come to an end in December last year, when the restrictions were again imposed. And the move has virtually sounded a death knell for the already battered tourism industry in the north of Bengal.

Tour operators allege that the state government is not taking into account the severity of the situation. “The restrictions came back only when things were looking up. We had nearly packed bookings till February. Once the snowfall started in Darjeeling from mid-December last year, tourists returned in good numbers. Then came the restrictions. Just when things were taking shape, we had to shut down again. All bookings were cancelled. This third wave and the resultant restrictions have wiped out whatever little hope we had with the industry,” says Samrat Sanyal, secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality Travel Development Network.

“We have nothing to look forward to. When we submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, we thought that the government will take note of the dire situation of the tourism industry of north Bengal in its revised guidelines. But, nothing has happened. They have provided relaxations to holding fairs and wedding receptions, but tourism continues to suffer as they have to remain shut. We simply could not fathom the reasons behind this decision,” Sanyal says.

Sanyal’s views are echoed by Debashis Moitra, president of the Eastern Himalayan Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.

“We could not understand the logic of the government’s restrictions on the tourism sector, whereas the relaxations given to holding fairs and congregations at marriage ceremonies. For one, movement of tourists at locations does not always mean there will be crowding, but that is a mandatory affair at marriage ceremonies and receptions. Added to that hotel, guest house and homestay operators always adhere to strict Covid protocols, which is hardly the case in marriage congregations or at fairgrounds,” says Moitra adding, “the state government does not get sustained revenue from large gatherings or marriage ceremonies, but the tourism sector pays taxes to the government. Clamping restrictions on the travel and tourism sector does not really make any sense. We are now literally pushed back to the wall and we will have no option than to take to the streets in protest if this continues.”

The director of the regional meteorological department in Sikkim, Gopinath Raha, has informed that there are predictions of light rain and further snowfall in the hills on Friday and over the weekend. Tourists will, however, miss a ‘white’ Darjeeling. Tour operators and hotel owners are keeping their fingers crossed for the next review of the Covid situation and the resultant restrictions by the state government, which is due on January 31. Till then, the snowflakes will fall on the deserted winding paths of Darjeeling.