Siliguri, West Bengal: Diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh are taking a severe toll on tourism and related sectors in northern West Bengal. Siliguri, a key gateway connecting India’s Northeast with the rest of the country and strategically located near the borders of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, has seen a sharp decline in visitors from Bangladesh.
Amit Bhowal, director of travel agency AKK Crusier Private Limited, said his business has plummeted by nearly 65 percent due to visa restrictions.
“Earlier, tourists from Bangladesh traveled to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Delhi, Agra, Ajmer, and Kashmir. The Centre’s 2018 decision to allow entry of Bangladeshi tourists to Sikkim had brought a surge in business. Now, visa operations have been scaled back, and the situation is completely grim, even affecting medical visas,” Bhowal told EastMojo. Over 800 tour operators in northern Bengal are reportedly facing similar losses.
Political unrest in Bangladesh following the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last August has exacerbated the situation.
In September, over 20,000 passports of Bangladeshi nationals were returned after the Indian High Commission in Dhaka suspended visa services amid ongoing protests. Although five visa centers reopened in January across Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna, visas are now issued only for emergency or humanitarian reasons, drastically reducing cross-border travel.
Tourism-dependent services, including car operators ferrying passengers to the hill districts of Darjeeling and Sikkim, are also struggling. “Earlier, we transported passengers at least twice a day from NJP railway station to Darjeeling. Now, it’s even difficult to have passengers once every two or three days,” said Madan Subba, a car owner in Siliguri.
According to Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, the northern Bengal tourism and hospitality industry, with an estimated turnover of around ₹3,000 crore, has seen a 10-15 percent decline due to the tension with Bangladesh. He urged proper implementation of the BBIN agreement, signed over a decade ago between India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, to facilitate smooth passenger, vehicle, and cargo movement across the region.
The education sector has also been affected. Moloy Saha, headmaster of Victoria Boys’ School in Kurseong, noted a decline in student admissions from Bangladesh. “We normally receive inquiries every year, but there has been no activity so far. I am not sure if the current tension is the reason,” he said.
Medical tourism, a significant component of cross-border exchange, has been hit as well. Northern Bengal hospitals report a 40-45 percent drop in patients from Bangladesh, who typically seek affordable and high-quality treatment in OPDs, laboratories, or for surgeries. A senior hospital official, requesting anonymity, confirmed the decline, stating that the high influx of medical tourists has been disrupted since the tensions began.
The ongoing diplomatic strains between India and Bangladesh are impacting multiple sectors in northern West Bengal, from tourism and transportation to education and healthcare, highlighting the broader economic consequences of regional tensions.
Also Read: Darjeeling mandarins face sharp decline amid climate changers
You just read a story that took days to report. Help us keep our reporters on the ground in the Northeast.
Ad-free reading, support and keep important stories alive
Support once (any amount)
Scan to pay via UPI