'More than 5K foreign tourists visited Bengal during Puja'

A spokesperson of Forum for Durgotsav said the tourists had visited important Puja pandals in the city.

MP  |  11 Oct 2022 |  KOLKATA: After UNESCO accorded the Intangible Cultural Heritage status to Durga Puja, more than 5000 foreigners visited the city during the festival through the state Tourism department. Most of the tourists had come from Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries. 

Many of them were present at the grand carnival held on Saturday at Red Road. US Consul General Milinda Pavek had inaugurated the Durga Puja at Amar Sangha in Andul. A senior state government official said the tourists got in touch with the state Tourism department after the UNESCO accorded the Intangible Cultural Heritage tag to Bengal's Durga Puja. 

A spokesperson of Forum for Durgotsav said the tourists had visited important Puja pandals in the city. They had also visited some of pujas, which are more than a century old. They were taken around the city in conducted tours. 

"It had been a trying time getting accommodation for them. They took photographs of the Durga idols and got mesmerised by the art work at the pandals," the official said. Durga Puja has gone global this year with the volume of both domestic and foreign tourists going up in 2022. 

Partha Ghosh, one of the founders of Forum for Durgotsav, said: "If this trend continues, Durga Puja will become one of the biggest industries in Bengal. Thus, the Pujas need to be handled professionally." 

The UNESCO tag to Durga Puja has given a major financial boost to Bengal. Forum For Durgotsav, quoting a study conducted by IIT Kharagpur, British Council and UK-based Queen Mary University, had said business worth Rs 50,000 crore was made during Durga Puja this year. 

The three agencies stated in the study that there had been a financial boost worth 54 per cent from 2019 when the Durga Puja was held with people visiting the pandals. In 2020 and 2021, it was held amid restrictions because of the pandemic. Idols of the top 95 Durga Pujas in Kolkata were showcased at a grand carnival on Red Road last Saturday. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/more-than-5k-foreign-tourists-visited-bengal-during-puja-495521