KOLKATA: The tea gardens of North Bengal are set to become the flavour of the season with the State's Tourism Department deciding to promote tea tourism in the area.

"To exploit the tourist potential of tea gardens, we will be encouraging the private garden owners to develop cottages where tourists can enjoy the ambience of the garden," said the department's Principal Secretary G. D. Gautama.

The department would provide land use permission keeping environmental regulations in mind so that the initiative does not turn into a ruse for real estate development, he added. None of the government tourist lodges is located inside tea gardens.

With large swathes of virgin forests in the Dooars area, the tea tourism initiative will complement the wildlife tourism circuit of North Bengal that is already a thrust area, Mr. Gautama said. Added attractions will be adventure sports, like wild water rafting, which could be organised on rivers such as Teesta.

Infrastructure development forms an important component in the overall plan. While the department is focusing on improving the conditions of the feeder roads in the area, the Tourism Development Corporation has been asked to revamp all the tourist lodges.

An amount of Rs. 388.98 lakh has already been released in 2006-07 to promote tea tourism.

Tour operators

Private tour operators have started cashing in on the interest generated by the Geographical Indication (GI) status conferred on Darjeeling tea.

"We have identified a few estates like Makaibari and Glenburn, where we try to showcase the entire process of making tea to the curious tourists, combining it with the colonial heritage when these places served as summer retreats for the Britishers," said one operator.

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