Digha hoteliers, small traders hope boost in business with new Jagannath temple

Digha: Hoteliers and small traders in West Bengal’s Digha expressed hope that the new Jagannath temple would transform from just a sea resort town to an international pilgrimage destination, boosting the economy of the region.

The new temple, a replica of the famed 12th-century shrine in Puri, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, on the auspicious occasion of ‘Akshay Tritiya’.

Digha and nearby beaches of Mandarmani and Sankarpur in Purba Medinipur district, around 190 km from Kolkata, witness a sea of tourists at weekends, and now the temple will be an added attraction.

"There was a slump in hotel business in Digha during the Covid pandemic. But in a very short time, we got over that bad time as tourists are back. No doubt that Jagannath Dham will also become an added attraction for tourists in Digha,” Bipradas Chatterjee, secretary of the Digha Shankarpur Hoteliers Association, told PTI here.

The association expects a three-fold increase in tourist footfall now.

“May and June is our peak season. We get most of our tourists that time. Seventy to 80 lakh tourists come to Digha at that time and 80 per cent of our business is done during that period. We expect a rise of 10 to 15 per cent in our business with the opening of the temple,” Chatterjee said.

It is claimed that the inauguration of the temple has already increased the interest of tourists.

"Our business will definitely grow. With this new Jagannath temple, we expect more people to come to Digha. Most of our guests come on the weekends and during holidays, but now we can expect them throughout the year and from all around the globe," Shantunu Barik, a senior official of a popular hotel in Old Digha said.

Dipankar Shin, an official of the local hawkers' association, said that they are hoping for a big boost in business.

“We like to thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the new temple. We hope to see massive growth in the rise in businesses here. Several small shops and business enterprises are expected to come up,” he said.

Dipak Manna, a stationery trader in Digha, said, "Our business will also grow a lot. But now the stalls have been shifted from beside the sea to the market, so sales are taking a hit. Small traders will benefit if the administration thinks about this.” Local Trinamool Congress MLA Akhil Giri also believes that Digha is now much more attractive as a tourist destination.

“With the initiative of our beloved Chief Minister, the beach town is now much more glamourous. Many people from different parts of the state come to Digha for the sea. Now they will also come for the Jagannath temple,” he told PTI.

The chief minister on Tuesday said that Jagannath Dham has emerged as an international tourist attraction.

"This is a pride of Bengal and a pride of India also. We are proud of it because of the architectural work," Banerjee said.

The ‘Jagannath Dham’ in Digha has been developed by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) at a cost of nearly Rs 250 crore. The day-to-day activities of the temple will be managed by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The construction of the temple started in 2022 after Banerjee announced the project in 2018.