New Delhi: The West Bengal Government is planning a major push for tourism infrastructure under its upcoming land and industrial policy, targeting over Rs 2,500 crore in direct investment in the sector, Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh said on Thursday.
The tourism policy, already sent to the government, is likely to be incorporated into the broader land and industrial policy expected to be rolled out before the Durga Puja, Ghosh said while speaking at the ICC Hospitality and Tourism Summit in Kolkata.
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The state government has allocated Rs 500 crore in 2026-27 for tourism infrastructure and aims to make destinations across Bengal globally accessible, he said.
"The state government expects over Rs 2,500 crore in direct infrastructure investment, backed by a fiscal allocation of Rs 500 crore in 2026-27, to make destinations globally accessible," Ghosh said.
The government is working to rebrand and redesign the tourism sector to attract investments, including foreign capital, while promoting modern, sustainable and technology-enabled tourism, he said.
"Our objective is to transform Bengal into a foreign currency earning state through modern, sustainable and technology-enabled tourism," Ghosh said.
The minister said the government was also planning to set up a hospitality institute to groom local manpower for the tourism sector.
Ghosh said the tourism investment summit organised recently by the department had received proposals worth Rs 12,634 crore, with an employment generation potential of around 22,000.
Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), said the group has reached 42 hotels in operation and under development across eastern and northeastern India, against a target of 50, with at least half of the planned properties expected to be in West Bengal.
"The journey has just commenced, and there will be more news coming out of our partnership, our brands and our contribution to the tourism economy," Chhatwal said.
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Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said tourism currently contributes slightly less than 6 percent to India's GDP and the government's objective is to raise this to 7 percent in the next five years and 10 percent by 2047.
"While India's overall tourism sector has registered around 14 percent growth, the country still has significant ground to cover given its immense potential," Shekhawat said.
He said the way tourism is measured also needs to change, with greater focus on parameters such as length of stay, tourist spending, employment generation and the benefits accruing to local enterprises, crafts, culture and cuisine, rather than relying primarily on tourist footfalls and international arrivals.
Shekhawat said the Centre was looking to position West Bengal as a destination for cultural heritage tourism.
"In the future, tourism will be driven by experience, not by monuments alone," he said.
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