West Bengal plans sustainable wildlife and mangrove tourism in Sundarbans

Kolkata: The West Bengal government will develop the Sundarbans into a "sustainable wildlife and mangrove tourism destination", and a Tourism Master Plan focusing on multifaceted development will be rolled out soon.

Meanwhile, two destinations in Bengal - Darjeeling and the Sundarbans or Mandarmani on the coastal belt - will also be promoted as global destinations under the Prime Minister's 'One State, One Destination' programme, West Bengal tourism minister Shankar Ghosh told ET. The Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest, spread across the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers in India and Bangladesh. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The tourism department will undertake "sustainable tourism" development in the Sundarbans, with a focus on eco-resorts, river tourism, creek and wildlife safaris, floating glamping, exclusive tourism jetties, procurement of e-vessels and biodiversity-sensitive infrastructure development through public-private participation, Ghosh said in his departmental budget speech recently. The government is preparing a comprehensive tourism policy, which will be released in August, the minister told ET. Along with this, the State Home Stay Policy and the Tourism Industrial Policy, aimed at boosting hotel and infrastructure-related investments in Bengal, are also likely to be released.


Meanwhile, Kolkata will be promoted as a global heritage and riverfront tourism destination through the development of BBD Bagh (Dalhousie) Square as a 'Living Heritage Precinct' and by leveraging the immersive cultural tourism experience of Kumartuli in north Kolkata, where Durga idols are crafted.