Tourism stakeholders for better facilities at Bagdogra airport

SNS, Siliguri, 16 July 2014: As Bagdogra Airport prepares to handle one more international flight (Bagdogra-Kathmandu) from 13 August, stakeholders of the tourism industry have pointed out some basic issues at the airport that they say must be looked into immediately. An apex body of private tour operators of eastern India--East Himalayan Travel and Tour Operators' Association (EHTTOA)--and Action Forum of Tourism Industry Stakeholders (AFTIS) sent a list of “suggestions” to the airport authorities that they feel need to be implemented. The EHTTOA served a letter to airport director KK Bhowmik today, while the AFTIS had served the letter on 12 July."On behalf of the entire tourism industry of north Bengal and Sikkim, we want to highlight some shortfalls at the airport,” general secretary of the EHTTOA, Sadhan Roy, said.
“The tourism industry in this region (north Bengal and Sikkim) and local travelers are dependent on this airport … with due respect, we would like to draw your attention to some issues that have to be resolved on an urgent basis,” reads the letter signed by Mr Roy. The organization has requested toilet facilities outside the airport terminal. “Tour operators, transport operators and drivers wait for hours for their guests outside the terminal, and lack of toilets outside the terminal inconveniences them as well as the passengers,” the letter reads.
The AFTIS said vehicles coming to the airport just to drop passengers are also illegally charged for parking, while EHTTOA sought multiple entry tickets for a day. The organizations have pointed out to the arrival display boards outside the terminal, which are out of order for a long time now, while also mentioning that cars that arrive at the terminal to pick their guests are given a mere five minutes’ time to park. “We would request you to increase the time limit to at least 15 minutes,” EHTTOA says.
They have also urged sitting arrangements outside the terminal and kiosks that would help all. After Paro-Bagdogra-Bangkok, Bagdogra airport is set to handle another international flight—Kolkata-Kathmanu-Bagdogra-Kathmandu-Kolkata.
One of the AFTIS coordinators, Samrat Sanyal, said the inflow of tourists will increase once the Bagdogra-Kathmandu flight is introduced."Under these circumstances, it is very important that the airport authority address those issues immediately," he said. He said AFTIS would also send a letter to the Union civil aviation minister, Ashok Gajapathy Raju Pusapati.