Hills to witness massive footfalls during Christmas & New Year

Sanchita Aich Bag, MP, 18 Dec 2023, Siliguri: The hill stations of North Bengal will be crowded with tourists during Christmas and New Year. 

Already about 85 per cent of hotel bookings have been completed in most of the tourist destinations of hills, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Besides, bookings have been completed for most of the homestays in this region. About 30 per cent of tourists are on the waiting list for booking homestays. 

Traders related to tourism are happy with the response and are gearing up to welcome tourists with pleasing hospitality. “Every year we wait for the winter season as a large number of tourists come to this region during this season. This year too, we received a huge response. 

Almost 85 per cent of hotel bookings have been completed in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. We are hopeful that 100 per cent booking will be done within a few days,” said Samrat Sanyal, Secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN). 

The tourism industry is one of the backbones of the economy of North Bengal. 

However, in October this year, the industry was affected due to flash floods in Teesta. The industry faced a massive loss as tourists started diverting to different places. 

After overcoming that situation, the tourism industry of the North-East region is slowly returning to the rhythm. Darjeeling Mall will be the centre of attraction during Christmas and New Year. 

Maximum tourists have booked hotels in Darjeeling. The city will also be decorated for the occasion. Meanwhile, many tourists have booked homestays in Kalimpong district. Especially almost all the homestays in remote areas of the district have been booked. 

Raj Basu, convener of the Association for Conservation and Tourism said: “Along with traditional locations, a large number of tourists are also choosing rural tourism centres. As a result, the crowd of tourists is increasing in the homestays. 

Almost all the homestays in Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts have been booked. About 30 per cent of tourists are on the waiting list.” 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/hills-to-witness-massive-footfalls-during-christmas-new-year-544716