Major hospitality and real estate players are heavily targeting West Bengal for expansion, spearheaded by the Nepalese conglomerate CG Corp Global, which has announced a monumental ₹2,000 crore investment plan spanning residential and commercial real estate, hospitality, healthcare, and education, with a primary focus on the immense untapped potential of North Bengal. CG Corp Global, led by managing director and CEO Varun Chaudhary, is already developing two Marriott-partnered hotels in the region and exploring tea tourism opportunities in Darjeeling, reflecting a surge in investor enthusiasm following recent political developments. This regional momentum is further amplified by other industry heavyweights, as Pooja Ray, managing director of Mayfair Hotels & Resorts, revealed that the Odisha-based group is actively pursuing multiple properties in the state, including a new venture in Shantiniketan, while Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and CEO of The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), noted that the group is rapidly approaching its regional target of 50 operating and under-development hotels across eastern and northeastern India, with at least half of these slated for Bengal. Aligning with this private sector influx, the West Bengal government, through tourism minister Shankar Ghosh, is orchestrating a major push for tourism infrastructure under its upcoming land and industrial policy, targeting over ₹2,500 crore in direct investments to boost regional economic growth. This state-level ambition dovetails with broader national objectives articulated by Union tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who highlighted plans to elevate tourism’s contribution to India’s GDP from its current level of slightly under 6 percent to 7 percent over the next five years and ultimately to 10 percent by 2047, cementing Bengal’s pivotal role in the nation’s expanding tourism and hospitality landscape through robust multi-sector investments, strategic policy support, and collaborative regional development.
