Process on to open up Darjeeling Hills to tourists from Sept

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 23 August 2020 | Darjeeling: From September 7th hotels and homestays could open up in the Darjeeling Hills. Representatives of the travel trade, hotel owners and transporters held a meeting to decide the way forward for the tourism industry, reeling under a major crisis. Subject to a nod from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) it was decided that hotels and homestays in the Hills would open up from September. 

"Covid-19 cannot be stopped by just keeping everything closed. A meeting was held on Sunday to decide the way forward. A resolution was adopted that with the approval of the GTA and following all necessary Government protocols hotels and homestays will open up from September 7," stated Tanmoy Goswami, Coordinator, HHTDN. 

The meeting held at the Gymkhana Club, Darjeeling, resolved that industry representatives, along with approaching the GTA for a go ahead, will also request the GTA to sensitize the local welfare organizations (Samaj) in the towns and villages to ensure them that all necessary safety measures are being adopted to ensure safe tourism. 

"Along with requesting the GTA to formulate a protocol for safe and sustainable tourism, the GTA will also be approached so that health checkup camps can be run in the entry points of the Hills (Darjeeling and Kalimpong.) Tourists can then be screened before entering the Hills," stated Goswami. 

On July 1, hotels opened up in the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars. However with Covid-19 positive cases on the rise, and instances of protests from local residents, fearing further spread of the virus, the GTA had hurriedly shut doors to tourists. 

"The tour and travel industry, which is the economic mainstay of this region is incurring a daily loss of around 19 Crore Rupees," added Samrat Sanyal, General Secretary, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network. 

A well defined roadmap devised with thorough consultation with stakeholders and local communities is the need of the hour prescribed travel trade industry Pundits, Every year around 8 lakh domestic and 40,000 foreign tourists visit the Darjeeling Hills. 

(Courtesy & source- Millenium Post- http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/process-on-to-open-up-darjeeling-hills-to-tourists-from-sept-416310 )