Developing a Comprehensive Plan of Tourism for Malda District, West Bengal

Abstract

Malda district is located in the central part of West Bengal. It is the most important link between the north and southern parts of the state and shares an international border with Bangladesh in the east. The district is rich in historical ruins from the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic reigns. It is the mango capital of the state with vast orchards and three varieties of premium mangoes getting the GI tag. The rich tourist heritage however has not been exploited properly. The monuments are now lying in ruin and suffering from neglect. Necessary infrastructure is lacking and almost no efforts have been made to promote and advertise tourism industry in the district. There is also ample scope of developing ancillary industries like the souvenir industry, mango processing units, local and tribal crafts etc. Though there is ample scope, the district suffers from problems like poor development of accommodation, minimal effort to preserve the architectural heritage, no coherent plan of tourism development, lack of infrastructure like proper guides, shops and facilities at the tourist spots as well as a less than sterling reputation about safety and security. This paper seeks to describe the various tourist resources and identify the problems. Information has been collected mainly from secondary sources like articles, newspaper reports, Government surveys, websites and blogs as well as from personal visit by the author. It also puts forward a comprehensive plan for the development of tourism in Malda.