The Bengal government has decided to showcase tourist destinations of the state on digital and social media to reach out to a larger audience both, domesticand international, to increase the footfall of tourists in the state.

“It has been decided to engage a specialised agency to carry out campaigns on different digital and social media platforms to highlight the tourist destinations of our state. The idea is to ensure a better and effective outreach to the global audience and disseminate information about West Bengal among potential tourists,” said an official of the state tourism department.

Since 2011, as Mamata Banerjee assumed the chief minister’s office, tourism has always been an area of priority for her. During her tenure, the state has come up with a number of policies to promote tourism, develop new destinations, and create new facilities and attractions.

According to the data available from the Union tourism ministry, in 2021, around 3.3 per cent of foreign tourists who came to India visited Bengal, as well as around 3.6 per cent of domestic tourists.

“In these days, digital and social media are important tools to reach out to people. Through the campaign, we believe, more and more people would be able to know about the diverse destinations spread across Bengal, right from the mountains in the north to the sea in the south,” the official added.

As a part of the plan, the state also intends to keep the official website and the app of the state tourism department updated, keeping in mind the current marketing needs and demands, and expectations of the industry.

“Tourism is one such sector that can bring revenues for the state and can create employment for the residents. What we need to do is to augment the footfall of both domestic and international tourists,” said Raj Basu, a veteran in the tourism industry based in Siliguri.

He said that over the past few years, homestay accommodations have mushroomed across north Bengal and also in some southern districts of the state.

“Hundreds of tourists are pouring into these homestays which are in newer locations. These facilities have provided a new opportunity for earning to people in rural areas, both in the hills and the plains. An aggressive campaign through social media (on these new facilities in remote areas) will definitely help the tourism industry,” said Basu.