Alipurduar, Oct. 15 -- The West Bengal Forest Department has introduced advance online booking for jungle safaris at Jaldapara National Park, allowing tourists to reserve seats up to a month ahead in a major push to boost tourism in North Bengal.

The new system was launched on Wednesday, October 14. A total of 912 seats for jeep safaris across five tourist routes and 48 seats for elephant safaris will be available for online booking daily.

According to a notification issued by the Jaldapara Wildlife Division, tourists can book safaris along five routes: Shalkumar, Madarihat, Lankapara, Chilapata and Kodalbasti. The initiative is expected to make travel planning easier, particularly during the peak tourist season, when last-minute bookings can be difficult to secure.

Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said: "Our aim is to make Jaldapara's tourism management more organised, accessible and tourist-friendly. This initiative is intended to provide tourists, particularly those travelling from different parts of the country, with the opportunity to reserve safari seats in advance and plan their visits accordingly."

The move is also expected to benefit hotels, homestays, tour operators and vehicle owners by helping them anticipate tourist arrivals and plan their services accordingly, potentially creating additional livelihood opportunities for local residents.

Biswajit Saha, general secretary of the Eastern Dooars Tourism Development Association, welcomed the decision, saying their prolonged agitation had finally yielded results.

"We are relieved that our prolonged agitation has finally yielded results. However, the ongoing deadlock in Buxa is sending the wrong

message to tourists.

The Forest Department should take swift action to resolve the issue. We want Buxa, like Jaldapara, to witness a tourism boom driven by the presence of tigers," he said.

Tourism stakeholders hope the initiative will strengthen Jaldapara's appeal and urge the Forest Department to resolve the issues surrounding Buxa to boost tourism across the Dooars region.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.