The simmering tension and frequent bandhs in Darjeeling hills have forced Bengal tourists to explore new destinations—beaches in south India and deserts in Rajasthan.

Once a prime destination for a large number of Bengali families to spend this time of the year, Darjeeling wears a deserted look. On Friday, government offices in the Hills re-opened after a three week shutdown, but the unrest has already damaged the local tourism industry. State Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee said the political turmoil in the Hills has “adversely” affected the tourism industry.

Tour operators say booking for Darjeeling has gone down by 90 per cent, with most of the hotels in the Hills, including in Kurseong and Kalimgpong, remaining closed.

“Around this time last year, most hotels had 80 per cent occupancy. This year many hotels are closed while others are giving heavy discounts to attract tourists. People are looking for small jobs in Siliguri or are doing business like car rentals,” says G Tashi, a hotel owner in Darjeeling .

Tourists are now heading to Visakhapatnam, Kanyakumari and even Jaipur.

“Usually we get a lot of bookings for Darjeeing this time of the year. But this year we have conducted tours for Vizag and Kanyakumari instead. In the past five months, we have done bookings for just two parties in Darjeeling,” says Basanti Chakraborty of AC Travels and Tour.

The increased cost to visit far off places in the country has not affected the tour plans of several families. “A five-day trip to the Hills costs about Rs 5,500 for a couple, while a six-day trip to Vizag costs Rs 9,645. But still our customers are not complaining,” says Mridul Banerjee of Banerjee Special, a tour operator that organises special tours and bookings.

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