West Bengal government to launch special ‘city pass’ for tourists

The West Bengal government will soon issue a special ‘city pass’ for people intending to visit the city’s important tourist attractions.

Named ‘Discover Kolkata,’ the integrated city pass will be launched on December 15 by the state tourism department. The idea behind the initiative is to promote tourism in the city, Babul Supriyo, minister-in-charge, tourism department, said on Wednesday.

The pass, which will cost Rs 495, will be available online for purchase on the department's website, remain valid for seven days, and cover 21 ticketed and non-ticketed destinations in the city. People can design their own tour packages with lower pay denominations by choosing a lesser number of destinations.

The destinations that could be covered by tourists in seven days using the pass are Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Netaji Bhawan, Nehru Children Museum, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, Smaranika Tram Museum, The Asiatic Society, R K Mission Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Science City, NICCO Park, Rabindra Tirtha, Nazrul Tirtha, Aircraft Museum, Eco Park, Alipur Museum, Mother’s Wax Museum, Gandhi Ashram, Natya Sodh Sansthan, Kolkata Port Maritime Heritage Museum, State Archeological Museum, and Kolkata Police Museum. “Seeing the response, we will see what other destinations can be included,” the minister said.

The pass will save tourists time they have to spend standing in queue for purchasing the usual ticket. It’s transferable as well, Supriyo said, adding that if there’s a good response after launch, an attempt may be made to facilitate people in entering the venues after QR scanning separately, instead of them having to wait in usual queues to enter.