Kolkata To Focus On Shopping Tourism

Joy Roy Choudhury - Kolkata

Just before Kolkata's major religious event `Durga Puja', the city would be conducting an annual shopping extravaganza designed on the lines of Dubai and Singapore shopping festivals. The nine-day festival will be held in the city from October 9-17, 2004. Besides fabulous shopping options, cinema, theatre, music, dance, art and crafts exhibition, food-fests, fireworks will be the highlights of the nine-day festival.

Conceived and conceptualised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI), the pre-puja shopping spree, will be packaged into a festival and marketed domestically as well as internationally in cooperation with the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (WBTDC). According to a top official at BCCI, the idea behind the festival is to have a complete image makeover. Through this festival the state aims to clear any misconceptions people have about the city and the state in large. BCCI will soon hold road-shows in state capitals of neighboring states to market this festival in a big way supported by massive advertising campaigns. A survey conducted by a reputed market research organisation pegged the festive season retail market in the city at Rs. 350 crore. R K Tripathy, principal secretary, department of tourism, government of West Bengal said, "The Kolkata shopping festival will be a 'signature event' in tourism and retailing."

BCCI authorities are also in talks with retailers and shop-owners to offer discounts to visitors visiting their shops during this period. S N Bhattacharjee, managing director, WBTDC said: "Our main aim is to attract tourists from all over the country and internationally during this period. WBTDC will be arranging for special package tours to important tourist spots in the state to cater to tourists who are expected to be here during the festival. Discussions are on with the government agencies to illuminate public places like airport, railway and metro stations, and heritage buildings during this period." The BCCI functionary further added, "We will try and make it an annual event and urge the industry to promote it within the country and abroad."