: Durga Puja may still be a few months away, Bengalis have already started planning their vacation destinations. However, with Nepal, one of the top pick destinations, being struck off following the earthquake in April, people are now considering Bhutan as an alternative.
The demand for Bhutan is evident as the three-day travel and tour operators’ fair in Khudhiram Anushilan Kendra in Kolkata sees people taking keen interest in Bhutan, among other hill stations.
“We have received quite a lot of queries for Bhutan and there is a definite increase in demand for holiday packages to Bhutan this year. Although we haven’t started making any bookings yet, we are expecting a 40 per cent increase in the tourist traffic from Bengal to Bhutan this year. While Bhutan packages are a tad bit expensive than Nepal, it does not deter people from picking it as an alternative to Nepal,” Anil of Dynamic Tourism told The Hindu . His stall at the fair only offers Bhutan packages, some coupled with north Bengal.
According to tour operators, Nepal is a top pick among honeymooning couples and would be frequented by tourists from Bengal almost throughout the year. Despite not advertising much about its tourism, Bhutan has better tourist amenities resulting in the marginal increase in hotel room rates. A seven-night and eight-day trip to four destinations across Bhutan starts at around Rs. 11,000 while a nine-day and 10-day package spanning over six destinations in Nepal usually starts at Rs. 15,000.
“I have had many clients who had booked holiday packages to Nepal this year and later cancelled it due to the earthquake. There has been a 100 per cent cancellation of all packages to Nepal and the authorities in Nepal have been considerate to not levy any cancellation charge. While many people have picked Bhutan as an alternative, many are fearful to visit any hill station any time soon,” founder of Travel and Tour Consultants Debashish Mukhopadhyay said.
With Nepal off the list after the earthquake, Bengalis are preferring the other neighbour
