The Mamata Banerjee government has formed a tourism task force to promote the sector in north Bengal, reaffirming the sector as one of its priority areas with huge potential for job creation. The state notification says the North Bengal Tourism Promotion Task Force has been constituted for effective coordination and planned approach for better promotion and development of the tourism sector in all eight districts of this region.

Sources said that an official of the rank of additional chief secretary or principal secretary or secretary of the state tourism department will head the new 19-member task force as chairperson. The deputy director of tourism (north Bengal) in Siliguri will function as member convener of the body.

In April this year, the state formed another 12-member state-level task force for tourism headed by the chief secretary and officials from different state departments. But in this newly formed task force for north Bengal, representatives of the tourism industry and trade bodies have been included, along with officials of the district administration, police, state power department and development agencies of this region.

“More than 10 lakh people are associated with the tourism industry in north Bengal, a major source of employment,” said a source. Ever since Mamata Banerjee assumed office as chief minister in 2011, she focused on the development of tourism activities in north Bengal. Bhorer Alo, the mega tourism hub on the banks of the Teesta river in Jalpaiguri district, and Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri, are major new attractions under her rule.

Also, 3,000-odd homestay facilities mushroomed in the region in the past few years. This led to new job opportunities for people of remote areas and created scope for tourists to visit new places. Samrat Sanyal, a member of the new task force, welcomed the decision.

“The tourism industry creates jobs and is also a source of revenue. We appreciate the state’s decision to form the task force as it will help the sector flourish in a more organised way,” said Sanyal, also the general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, an apex body of tourism stakeholders.