WB keen to bring in Turkish Airlines

While attending the India Travel Awards - East as the chief guest, Bratya Basu, Minister of Tourism and Culture, West Bengal, talks about how the state is developing tourism hubs and how they are now keen on promotions in India and abroad.

How big a priority is tourism for the West Bengal government?

Tourism prima facie is the key point of the state. The West Bengal Chief Minister is encouraging new hoteliers, new developers to invest in the area so that more infrastructure is created and more tourists get to avail these facilities. We are also very keen on increasing the number of tourists to the state. Every year, the number of tourists to the state has been increasing. This year, compared to 2013, we have already got 30 lakh more tourists. This is a very positive development. Our Chief Minister has been working relentlessly for the development of tourism.

What is West Bengal doing for the development of tourism?

East India has immense potential for tourism, particularly West Bengal and we have been stressing upon it. Our Chief Minister is also focussing a lot on tourism. She has created already two big hubs in West Bengal – Gajal Doba in North Bengal, a tourism mega hub, and Jharkhali, near the mangrove area of Sunderbans. We have already created twin mega circuits in our state and I firmly believe that the Central Government will also assist us to develop all the circuits and promote them as well. Our chief minister has a done a lot for tourism, her new vision and the new endeavour is evident throughout the state. I believe that the initiatives that have been taken have been done keeping in mind the promotion of tourism. This will definitely encourage everyone to think in that direction and will help develop the state and the country as a whole.

What is the share of international tourists compared to domestic tourists in West Bengal? How do you plan to bridge the gap?

We have a comparison table and the number of domestic tourists is far higher than international tourists. From this year onwards, we are trying to promote our state through European channels. We are also promoting West Bengal tourism in every corner of the country. We have earlier participated in tourism fairs in Berlin and London and next year, we plan to participate in the tourism fair in Madrid to popularise the destination among international tourists.

I have written a letter to the civil aviation minister asking if they can bring Turkish Airlines to Kolkata as Turkey is the border of Europe and Asia. If Turkish Airlines comes here, tourism will have great potential. There is plenty of scope for development in and around the airport and I hope that the Airport Authority of India thinks in that direction. There is sign of development that can be seen in the airports of the state and I hope people take this positively.

What are the other initiatives that the state is developing for the hospitality sector?

The West Bengal government is specially emphasising on improvement of infrastructure as well as quality of services rendered by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDCL) guest houses. We are planning to change the overall approach and appearance of a few of our guest houses matching it with the history and tradition of the place. Our Bolpur guest house will be the first such guest house to witness this change. While we are keen on promoting tourism in the region, we are also trying our best to promote the local culture.

Are you planning on developing more such hubs?

There are plenty of places to focus on in West Bengal like Dooars Darjeeling Bankura, Birbhum, Sunderbans and Purulia. So we are trying to promote them all. We have already created 12 mega circuit for development of tourism in West Bengal. I think this will only grow more and more. In the macro level while we have tried to create tourism hubs, in the micro level, we are looking for development of infrastructure, protection of tourists, provide more facilities for tourists so that more and more people frequent the place. We are also marketing the state in a big way all over India and abroad.