In a significant move aimed at reshaping West Bengal’s tourism sector, the state’s Minister-in-Charge for Tourism, Dr. Shankar Ghosh, convened his first consultative meeting with representatives of leading national and regional tourism and hospitality associations, signalling the beginning of a structured Government-Industry partnership to drive the state’s tourism growth.
Minister-in-Charge, Department of Tourism, Dr. Shankar Ghosh
The meeting was attended by Minister of State Purnima Chakraborty, Additional Chief Secretary Barun Kumar Ray, IAS, Director of Tourism Soumitra Shankar Sengupta, senior officials from the Tourism Department, and representatives from across the tourism and hospitality industry.
The consultation marks the first step towards formulating a Short-Term Tourism Action Plan and a Long-Term Tourism Development Roadmap, with the objective of positioning tourism as one of West Bengal’s key engines for economic growth, employment generation, investment and cultural preservation.
Highlighting West Bengal’s rich blend of heritage, spirituality, wildlife, rivers, mountains, forests, cuisine, arts, festivals and hospitality, Dr. Ghosh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming these strengths into world-class, experience-led and responsible tourism offerings.
Five strategic priorities unveiled
During the meeting, the Minister outlined the Government’s vision through five strategic priorities that will guide the future development of tourism in the state.
The first priority, ‘From Potential to Performance’, focuses on translating West Bengal’s tourism assets into measurable outcomes through policy reforms, infrastructure development, reliable tourism statistics, investment promotion and result-oriented implementation.
Under the second priority, ‘Tourism for All’, the government aims to create world-class tourism experiences for both domestic and international visitors while ensuring tourism remains inclusive, affordable and accessible to all sections of society.
The third priority, ‘Reimagining the Brand of Bengal’, envisages the launch of ‘Experience Bengal 2.0’, a comprehensive destination branding and marketing initiative designed to position West Bengal as India’s leading experience-led responsible tourism destination through integrated branding, destination marketing, digital innovation and product development.
The fourth pillar, ‘Gateway to the East’, seeks to strengthen air, rail, road and river connectivity while creating seamless travel experiences that establish West Bengal as the gateway to Eastern and North-Eastern India as well as neighbouring countries.
The fifth priority, ‘Partnership for Progress’, aims to build a collaborative tourism ecosystem by strengthening partnerships among government departments, industry stakeholders, investors, local communities and allied sectors while improving the ease of doing business.
Industry welcomes new roadmap
The Tourism Department said the Minister’s vision received an overwhelming response from industry stakeholders, with the initiative generating renewed confidence within just five days of his assuming office.
Representatives from the tourism and hospitality sector offered recommendations on destination marketing, tourism infrastructure, connectivity, tourism statistics, policy reforms, investment promotion, skill development, sustainable tourism practices and measures to improve ease of doing business.
The discussions also highlighted the need to develop high-potential niche tourism segments such as river tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism and medical tourism.
Integrated tourism policy proposed
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the proposal to formulate an integrated West Bengal Tourism Master Policy, bringing together all tourism-related policies under a unified strategic framework to strengthen the state’s position as a globally recognised experience-led tourism destination.
Participants also emphasised the effective implementation of Industry Status for tourism, supported by appropriate rules, incentives and coordinated action across government departments.
To ensure structured stakeholder participation, tourism industry associations have been requested to submit their organisational profiles, recognised membership details and three-year vision documents, along with sector-specific priorities and recommendations through structured presentations aligned with the Government’s five strategic priorities. These inputs will form the foundation of both the Short-Term Tourism Action Plan and the Long-Term Tourism Development Roadmap.
Tourism Facilitation Cell announced
Dr. Ghosh also announced the establishment of a Special Tourism Facilitation Cell within the Tourism Department to receive, evaluate and facilitate proposals related to tourism projects, investments, marketing and promotional initiatives.
The department said the Cell will ensure transparent, coordinated and time-bound evaluation of industry proposals, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to responsive governance and improving the ease of doing business.
The Minister further announced that regular consultative meetings and thematic working groups would be institutionalised to maintain continuous dialogue with the industry and encourage active stakeholder participation in tourism policy formulation and implementation.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment from both the Government and industry stakeholders to transform West Bengal into one of India’s most admired and globally competitive destinations for experience-led, responsible and sustainable tourism while driving investment, entrepreneurship, employment generation and inclusive economic growth.
The state’s tourism vision will be guided by the theme: “Responsible Tourism. Inclusive Growth. Global Recognition.”
