Places To Visit In Bengal (Kolkata)

1) Victoria Memorial

2) Princep Ghat

3) Saheed Minar & The National Library

4) Birla Mandir

5) Birla Planetarium

6) Howrah Station & Bridge

7) Dakhineswar Temple & Belur Math

8) The Indian Meseum

9) Science City

10) Gandhi Ghat

11) Rabindra Sarobar

12) Eden Garden

13) Yuba Bharati Krirangan

14) Trams & Hand pulled rikshaw of Kolkata

Other places in Bengal- 1) Shantiniketan

2) Sunderbans

3) Digha & Mandarmoni

4) Darjeeling

5) Dooars

6) Mirik Lake

7) Takdah

8) Hazarduari

• Destination – West Bengal Tourism.• Target Group – Travel Enthusiasts.• Income group – A+, A, B+, B, C+.• Target Market – Pan India.• Target Media – Magazines & Newspapers.

Magazines – Outlook Traveller, Bhromon, Desh, Travel Plus, Safari India, India Today Travel Plus, Lonely Planet Magazine, India Outbound, Femina, Women’s Era, Lets Travel, Tourism India, India Today, Outlook, The Week.

Print – (National & local) Times of India, The Telegraph, Hindustan Times, ABP, Ei Samay, Ebala, khobor365 etc.

Digital/TV – official website, social media (facebook, twitter).• Media Plan – Press Release, blogs, travel & tourism events,

Newsletters, articles, tourism seminars.

Why Visit Bengal?

• “Banglar mati, banglar jol”, West Bengal is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse states of India. The culture of West Bengal is considered to be one of the richest cultures in India.

• Over the years, the culture of West Bengal has emerged as the perfect blend of modernity and traditions. The sanctity of Hooghly, the beauty of Eastern Himalayas, the diversity of Sundarbans, the forest of Dooars and the freshness of the Tea Gardens, all blend together to constitute what we call the unique culture of West Bengal.

• Bengali culture also has its root in Bengali music, Bengali cinema and Bengali literature. The delicious Bengali cuisine also forms an important constituent of the state's cultural heritage.

• 'What Bengal thinks today, Rest of the India will think tomorrow'. Bengal is the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Subash Chandra Bose, Vidyasagar & many others.

• Bengalis reflect a mixture of traditional values and modern traditions. They have deep affinity towards art, craft and music and mainly believe in socialism.

• Bengali people are considered to be great foodies and the appreciators of good taste. The staple Bengali food comprises of rice and fish.

• During the British colonial era from 1700–1912, Kolkata enjoyed the privilege of being the capital of British India & is therefore also known as the ‘British Capital of India’.

• People of every religion lives in West Bengal, from Hindus to Muslims to Christians.

• Kolkata is also known as the ‘Mecca of Indian football’ & both Mohun Bagan – East Bengal belongs to the city.

• Some prominent luminaries born in Bengal are Raja Rammohun Ray, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, and so on. By the early twentieth century, Kolkata became the so-called cultural capital of India.

• 5 Noble Laureates from India have worked in West Bengal. The world famous film director Satyajit Ray, the only Indian to have won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, was also born in Kolkata.

• The traditions in terracotta, brassware, shell-craft, ivory carving, dokra, sholapith, cane and bamboo-craft, handloom, embroidery and other forms of craftsmanship are carried forward even today.

West Bengal as a Tourist Destination

• West Bengal aims to become a preferred tourism and tourism-related investment destination by leveraging its unique geographical setting along with its various tourism destinations. The Government is also trying to help the tourism sector grow in the state.

• To develop the state into a tourism destination by showing its unique ecological, historical, cultural, religious, wildlife, sports, shopping assets.

• Tourism will also help in creating employment & the places will get developed.

• The aim is to improve the market share of West Bengal in the tourism sector both nationally & internationally.

• Over the last 3 years West Bengal has witnessed a growth of 17% in the tourism sector.

RUDRANIL SENGUPTA