Hamlet shops for tourists

Gorubathan, Feb. 24: Waking up to the tourism potential of the area, residents of this sleepy hamlet nestled in the upper reaches of Kalimpong have decided to promote it as an ideal destination waiting to be discovered.

Concerto Club, the oldest in Gorubathan, is spearheading the initiative and has drawn up plans to distribute brochures among visitors and travel agents as the first step towards placing itself on the tourism map of north Bengal. `We will distribute the brochures containing the details of all places worth visiting among tourists and travel agents. We are also thinking of giving the brochures to the tourism department of the DGHC and the state government, so that they help us promote the destinations,` said Shyam Thapa, a local resident who has been working to promote tourism. `We are also trying to bring private entrepreneurs to invest in the area and build hotels and resorts. With jungles, waterfalls, trekking trails, ruins of historical forts and natural lakes exalted in mythology, Gorubathan has something to offer to everyone`; he added.

`Dalim Fort was used by the British Army during the Indo-Tibetan war in 1865. Then there are the five lakes - locally called Panchpokhri -which converge into one point and has mythological relevance. Besides, there are places like the Upper Fagu Tea Estate and Nimbusti, which offer excellent views of the Himalayas` said Thapa.

The latest addition to Gorubathan's list of tourist attractions is a monastery that is being built with foreign funds. The stumbling block, all the residents agreed, was the lack of proper roads and hotels.

They said the rates at the DGHC lodge there, were too high for middle-class tourists. `We want private entrepreneurs to come here and set up resorts. One businessman was interested in building a resort but the project was scuttled after problems related to procurement of land cropped up` a resident said. According to Thapa, the development of tourism in the area will generate new avenues of employment. The residents have decided to approach the state tourism ministry to ensure private investment in the area.

Courtesy
The Telegraph

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