Kolkata (PTI): Looking beyond tourist spots of Darjeeling hills and Dooars area in North Bengal, the West Bengal government plans to develop the Sunderbans, famous for its Royal Bengal tigers, and beaches on the Bay of Bengal to attract tourists.

The state government has drawn up plans to develop several beaches lining the Bay of Bengal and also the Sunderbans, a UNESCO heritage site.

Plans were afoot to introduce river cruises in the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world with innumerable rivers crisscrossing it.

State Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee said that more than 100 luxury launches (mechanised boats) could be introduced for cruises into the heart of Sunderbans from the metropolis.

At Jharkhali, the gateway to the Sunderbans and about 120 km from the metropolis, four to six world class resorts were also coming up, he said.

State tourism's Sajnekhali tourist lodge, which at present is in a very bad shape, was being developed into a three-star category facility, he said.

Mukherjee said that though Sunderbans has immense possibilities to attract domestic and foreign tourists, the impact on the environment has to be kept in mind as the already fragile ecological balance of the area had to be maintained.

"Definitely, Sunderbans can be the most attractive destination for foreign tourists coming to our country, he said."