Appeal to revive hill image

TT, Siliguri, Oct. 4: Stakeholders of the tourism industry today said the Bengal government should take an initiative to revive the image of Darjeeling as a tourist destination.

They appealed to the government to ensure that the flow of tourists increased over the next four months, and particularly ahead of the third edition of the Bengal Travel Mart that would be hosted in Siliguri in February next year.

The tourism sector was among the hardest hit by the three months of agitation in the hills. After the strike was withdrawn last month, the tourism stakeholders started campaigning aggressively on social media to pull in visitors to Darjeeling.

"A similar initiative from the state's side will supplement the campaign and help us get back tourists to Darjeeling. There has been some inquiries and a few bookings but as a whole, the response from the national and international travel fraternity has been lukewarm so far," said Sandipan Ghosh, the secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators' Association.

Those associated with the travel trade in the hills said they expected a flow of tourists after Diwali.

"But it would take some more days for the hotels to get ready with the necessary services. There are some queries for Christmas and New Year. We have to campaign together to ensure maximum flow of tourists during winter," said Samrat Sanyal, a veteran in the tourism industry.