The ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh has stopped stakeholders of its tourism industry from participating in the eighth edition of the Bengal Travel Mart (BTM), a three-day event set to start here on Tuesday.

The BTM, which will exhibit tourist hotspots of Bengal, some other states and destinations of neighbouring countries Nepal and Bhutan, is being organised by the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), in association with the Union tourism ministry.

“Because of the current situation in Bangladesh, representatives of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh have confirmed that they would not join the BTM this year,” said Sandipan Ghosh, the chairman of the organising committee of the event.

The fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5 this year and the subsequent changes in the political scenario of the country have contributed to the halt of Bangladeshi tourists to north Bengal and other parts of the state, as well as Sikkim.

Debasish Chakraborty, the general secretary of the EHTTOA, pointed out that since 2018, the inflow of Bangladeshi tourists to north Bengal had been rising as the Indian government allowed them to visit Sikkim. Bangladeshi tourists preferred to visit north Bengal and Sikkim in one go.

Even this year, over 27,000 tourists from Bangladesh visited Sikkim and adjoining areas till October.

“However, the arrival of Bangladeshi tourists has stopped now. The change in the political situation of Bangladesh has affected the tourism sector on both sides of the border. Many people from Bengal, who planned trips to Bangladesh, have also cancelled their trips,” he said.

In such a situation, the tourism industry of north Bengal and Sikkim has again taken a beating after trying to recover from the plunge during the Covid-19 years.

This year, the focus is on neighbours Bhutanand Nepal.

“For the first time, we will have representatives from the tourism industry of Bhutan at the BTM. During the event, the EHTTOA is likely to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Bhutan (HRAB),” said Chakraborty.

He said Bhutan, with a population of around 7.8 lakh, was a major tourist spot.

“In the current fiscal, around five lakh tourists are expected to visit the country and almost 60 per cent of them will be from India. Considering the geographical location of Bhutan (the country shares its borders with north Bengal), we are stressing cross-border tourism with Bhutal, like with Nepal,” he added.

Surya Thapaliya, the senior manager of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), who is attending the event, said they would showcase the eastern region of their country at the BTM as it shares borders with north Bengal and Sikkim.

“In eastern Nepal, tourists can visit temples and religious places and forests, and can also enjoy the idyllic landscape in the backdrop of the Himalayan ranges. We feel the BTM is the right platform to showcase these places so that more tourists from India visit these destinations,”said Thapaliya.

Along with the Calcutta regional office of the Union tourism ministry, the state tourism boards of Sikkim, Tripura, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, as well as around 100 international and national travel houses and some prominent hotel chains will jointhe event.

“There will be technical and B2B sessions on various issues pertaining to the industry,” said eventchairman Ghosh.