BY TC News Desk
Agartala, February 1, 2024: Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that the state government’s multi-pronged program to promote tourism has been successful, as evidenced by the increased tourist arrivals and revenue in the state. He attributed the growth to the appointment of former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly as the brand ambassador of Tripura tourism last October.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, Chowdhury presented the comparative figures of tourist arrivals and revenue of the tourism department in the three months of October, November and December of the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24. He said that in the fiscal year 2022-23, a total of 84,217 tourists visited the state, of which 5,964 were foreign tourists. The revenue collected was Rs. 1.02 crore. In the fiscal year 2023-24, the number of tourists rose to 1,55,183, of which 19,614 were foreign tourists. The revenue increased to Rs. 1.23 crore.
“These figures reflect the improvement of tourism in the state and the impact of making Sourav Ganguly the brand ambassador. He is a popular and respected figure in the country and abroad, and his association with Tripura tourism has boosted the image and visibility of the state as a tourist destination. We hope that this trend will continue and we will see more tourists coming to our state in the future,” Chowdhury said.
He also highlighted the various initiatives taken by the state government to develop tourism infrastructure and attract tourists. He said that 51 log huts were constructed in Chabimura, of which 41 have been commissioned and the remaining 10 will be operational soon. He said that 11 home stays have been started in the areas around Narkelkunja and four in Jampui Hill. He expressed hope that 11 more home stays will be launched on February 12, 2024. He said that the government has plans to start such home stays in different districts of the state in the coming days. He also said that the government is aiming to take up the home stay policy soon.
He further said that under the North-East Special Infrastructure Development Project of the Ministry of Donor, plans have been taken to develop four more islands around Narkelkunj – Chabimura, Amulisadan Para and Twin Island – for tourists. He said that an initial approval of Rs. 30 crore has been received from the project and the preparation of DPR is in progress.
He also said that with the help of Asian Development Bank, the tourism infrastructure of Chabimura, Sonamukhi area of Kailashahar, Chaturdas Debata Mandir and Kasba Kali Mandir premises will be developed. He said that Rs. 12.51 crore and Rs. 17.66 crore will be spent on the project for the Chaturdas Debta Mandir and Kasba Kali Mandir respectively.
He also said that the Government of India has sanctioned Rs. 37.8 crore of Prasad project for the development of Mata Tripura Sundari Temple and the work is going on. He said that Rs. 25.63 crore have already been received in this project. He also said that Agartala and Unakoti destinations have been approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 project. He expressed hope that a total of Rs. 140 crore will be available for these two destinations.
He also said that an initiative has been taken to purchase modern house boats for Dumboor reservoir. He elaborated on some other development projects of state tourism, such as the renovation of heritage buildings, the installation of solar lights, the beautification of parks and gardens, and the promotion of adventure and eco-tourism. He said that the state government is committed to make Tripura a preferred tourist destination in the country and the world.
