Bengal to get ₹800 cr investment in shipbuilding, boosting river tourism

Kolkata: In a major boost to river tourism, the Bengal government is expected to receive an investment of Rs 800 crore in shipbuilding as a new factory may be set up in the state creating a huge employment opportunity. With this Bengal will emerge as one of the best river tourism destinations in the country.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on social media claimed that Bengal is pushing forward to set up a river tourism hub with more investments coming in. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at the recently concluded Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) where Antara Cruise has partnered with the Bengal government to revolutionise river tourism. In a post on X, Trinamool Congress said: “India’s leading luxury cruise operator, Antara Cruise, is set to invest ₹800 crore in Bengal! A state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility will be established, transforming Bengal into a premier river tourism destination. This announcement comes after the signing of an MoU with the GoWB, led by Hon’ble CM@MamataOfficial, at #BGBS2025.”

Meanwhile, the state Tourism department in the BGBS this year has inked MoUs to the tune of Rs 5,600 crore. State Tourism minister, Indranil Sen during the Budget session in the Assembly said that his department hopes that the MoUs will be implemented in the next year. The arrival of foreign tourists in Bengal in the year 2023 has been 27.07 lakh up from 10.4 lakh tourists in the year 2022, he claimed. The minister is hopeful that with the tourist flow in the year 2024, this figure will go up further. “As much as 50 per cent of the foreign tourists and those from other states choose South Bengal for visit and Purulia is one of the hotspots,” said Sen.