Stakeholders of the tourism industry in north Bengal have started forming Yuva Tourism Clubs (YTC) with school students acting as envoys to spread information on tourist attractions of the region.

Students will also tell tourists about responsible tourist practices for the conservation of the sites.

On Wednesday, on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, the YTCs formed in the region will be formally introduced.

A number of associations representing people from the tourism industry have also lined up a series of events on Wednesday.

“We have started forming such clubs in schools across north Bengal and around 30 such YTCs have been formed so far. The clubs have students from Classes VIII to XI. They will actively participate in the promotion of tourist destinations of their region by exchanging information with similar clubs located across the country. Simultaneously, they will also disseminate messages for responsible tourism so that the tourist sites are properly conserved,” Raj Basu, the adviser to the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), said here on Tuesday.

According to him, these days, around 30,000 such clubs are active across the country.

He said that by joining the clubs, the students will also gain information about tourist destinations in their areas and know how to carry out tourism activities while keeping in mind the need to protect biological diversity and heritage sites.

“Such knowledge learned in the early stages of their lives will make them responsible tourism stakeholders as well as travellers in the future,” Basu added.

“Tomorrow (Wednesday), members of the YTCs of Siliguri will gather at Bagha Jatin Park here and march to Siliguri Junction. From there, they would be taken on a Joy Ride in the toy train till Sukna,” said Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the HHTDN.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, there will be a seminar on the scope for women entrepreneurs in tourism, followed by an award function for tourism stakeholders.

The Jalpaiguri Tour Operator Welfare Association, on the other hand, has invited M. Khandekar, the founder president of the Bangladesh Adventure Club, to north Bengal. He and some members of the association will visit locations in the Dooars to explore adventure tourism options.

“As hundreds of travel enthusiasts from Bangladesh visit north Bengal and Sikkim, we want them to join in adventure tourism here,” said Chandan Mitra, joint secretary of the association.

The Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators Association will observe World Tourism Day at Cooch Behar palace.