The hills are calling again: Darjeeling, Kalimpong reopen for tourists after COVID hiatus

After a six-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, hill stations in West Bengal are welcoming tourists again. Travel enthusiasts who have been craving a hot cuppa with a snow-peaked mountain view can now visit the popular tourist destinations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal.

The West Bengal government, on September 5, allowed hotels outside of containment zones in Darjeeling and Kalimpong to resume services while adhering to strict social distancing norms and maintaining hygiene as per COVID-19 protocols.

The neighbouring state of Sikkim – another popular tourist destination -- is expected to open their gates to tourists from October 2020, reported the Hindustan Times. Notably, Sikkim was one of the first states to put a temporary ban on tourism from March 16 to contain COVID-19 spread.

The Sikkim tourism department will allow domestic tourists with pre-booked or package tours to enter the state. They will have to produce COVID-19 negative certificates at the border check posts.

Lakhs of tourists throng the hills in the eastern and north-eastern parts of India every year and tourism is also the mainstay of several people who stay in these regions. In fact, 15 percent of the population in hills depend on tourism for their livelihoods. The industry, has, however, been one of the worst sufferers due to the pandemic outbreak and the subsequent lockdown.

Sangey Tshering Bhutia, President, Darjeeling Hotel Owners’ Association, is hopeful that the situation will limp back to normalcy now that hotels will be operating. He said: “Now that the hotels have opened, we are optimistic that tourists would start arriving and the tourism industry would roll back to normal in a phased manner. We are expecting tourists soon.”

Both Kalimpong and Darjeeling have very low COVID-19 caseload, while public transport connecting New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri to the hills stations have also been resumed. Tourists will also be able to take trains such as the Agartala-Delhi Rajdhani Express, Brahmaputra Mail, and Padatik Express.

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