I wanted to share a potential idea for transforming the tourism landscape in the state of West Bengal.

I see caravan tourism as one great way of not only boosting rural tourism initiative in the state but also a source of assured income for the villagers in this state and which has the potential to check rural to urban migration in the state. Salient features of the plan includes: 1. Each block in each district of W.B. to have atleast one designated camping cum caravan site with infrastrucutre of comparable global standards. (There are 19 districts, 341 blocks and 40782 villages.) I would have ideally liked to see each of the 40 , 782 villages in the state having one camping site, But that could be too ambitious to so, hence curbing my dreamfield to 341 block locations. 2. The Operational requirements for the Caravan parks would be: i. Caravan Parks to be operational 24 x 7 during season ii. Caravan Parks to be connected by fair-weather road from the main road (either the NH or the SH) iii. Caravan Parks shall have all necessary trading licenses / NOCs from concerned authorities including fire NOC iv. Caravan Parks establishment shall have public liability insurance v. Standardization of electricity, water and sewage connections to ensure total compatibility with Caravan specifications in India. vi. The parks could be standalone or hybrid. However, in case of hybrid parks, the caravan parking facilities and related services should be physically separated and be away from other services like wayside amenities, restaurants, general vehicle parking or accommodation etc. Vii. The Caravan Parks have to be safe and secure zone so that the visitors have a hassle free and stress free environment. For this a boundary wall with limited entry and lockable gates around the camping/ Caravan Park area to avoid unnecessary trespassing and unauthorized entry is mandatory. Adequate security and safety arrangements should be made at the Caravan Park viz. deployment of security guards with a system of patrolling. A properly equipped First Aid kit should be available at the reception and adequate first aid training should be provided to the staff. The facility of doctor on call should be available at the park. A well defined mechanism should be available to handle a medical emergency. The park management should maintain effective coordination with local medical establishments. The supervisory staff and other workers should be trained in disaster management to face disasters like fire, road accidents, earthquakes, floods, landslides (in hills) etc. 3. As specified by the Ministry of Tourism (GoI), minimum land required would be half an acre with a minimum of 5 parking bays and a density of not more than 60 parking bays per hectare. 4. Camping/caravan Park Design and Location: i.The Camping/caravan Park should be compatible with its surroundings (natural and manmade) and designed to cause the least possible disturbance to these. ii.Open space should be of adequate dimensions and design for its intended purpose and landscaped to a standard that visually and physically separates the Camping/caravan Park from surrounding uses and where desirable, separates uses within the park. iii.Adequate opportunities for safe active recreation for children would be desirable. iv.There should be a provision of proper sewage disposal, rain water harvesting & picnic tables. v.The park layout should be capable of achieving adequate separation of different occupancies and activities. vi.Should be constructed to a standard suitable for use in all weather conditions. 5. Landscaping: i. Landscaping and plantation should be planned in a way to achieve privacy, screening and security. ii, Plantations and green cover should be in accordance / line with local indigenous species. iii. Landscaped areas should be located and designed to alleviate prevailing winds, dust and some extent, noise. 6. Camping/caravan Parking Bays: i.Each parking bay should be clearly defined and should have direct access to a metal/ cemented service road. The parking bay should be raised minimum 6 inches from the ground. ii.Construction of the parking bay should ideally be of brick & mortar. iii. Each parking bay should be provided with electricity and water connections,sewerage outlets in strict adherence to international / Indian environmental norms /best eco practices iv. There should be a minimum gap of 5 metres between each camping or caravan parking bay . 7. Essential Infrastructure at the Camping/caravan Parking Bays: i. The Caravan Park should be provided with a constant supply of water including a constant supply of potable water. ii.Each site should be provided with an outlet. All areas of the Caravan Park especially the parking and basic facilities areas should be well lit with provision of a generator for back up

iii. The toilet building should have separate screened access for male and female section earmarked for the guests of the Caravan Parks and these sections shall be suitably separated, soundproofed and have an adequate supply of hot and cold water. Toilet facilites to strictly conform to the standanrds specified by the Ministry. iv. Laundry facilities should be provided in a separate building or may form part of an amenities complex, provided the laundry facilities are separate with an internal access. Each laundry should have a separate designated area for wash room, minimum of 1 washing machine and 1 automatic dryer for a lot of 5 parking bays, an an iron and an iron board. v. The camping/caravan Park should be well lit and in addition to the use of energy efficient lighting (eg CFL), the use of solar energy should be encouraged. Other non-conventional eco-friendly energy resources could be used. vi. Power back up system 8. Tourist facilitation centre to provide appropriate facilities and infrastructure for tourists /campers. Amneties to include i. The staff should be well groomed and properly trained. ii. Front Office staff should be well versed in English/Hindi, in addition to Bengali. iii. A comprehensive list of Dos and Donts should be displayed in all prominent areas and guest compliance to be politely requested for. iv. There should be a tie- up with mechanic, tyre shop and fuel station for vehicular requirements and emergencies. v. At least one personnel (handyman), electrician, plumber, sweeper etc. to be available for general service and maintenance 24 hrs. vi. Local maps / brochures containing necessary information. vii. Waiting room, utility shop, and Food & Beverage outlet could be an additional facility. vii. Local guide well groomed and properly trained, well versed in English/Hindi, in addition to Bengali. vii. Tourists/campers should be sensitized about the cocio-cultural traditions of the local communities through brochures and signages placed at strategic locations in the park. All efforts should be made to encourage participation of the local community (of the concerned Block where the caravan/camping site would be located) in the tourism and allied activities of the Caravan Parks. Training and sensitization of the members of the local communities shall be undertaken for capacity building and for creating awareness about economic benefits of tourism to the local communities. The service providers should be from the local population (the concerned block), where the site is located. Furthermore, these 'Camping/Caravan Park' projects may be developed in PPP mode. Specialised private tourism/hospitality services chains may be roped in as the private partner, and the concerned local Government body (Municipality/Panchayet/Gram Sabha/Special Territorial Administrative Authorities) would be public partner. While the public partner may provide the land, the the private partner shall be expected to bring in the funds, expertise in services delivery and necessary capacity building, project management, marketing and promotions among others. Profit sharing among the partners may divided proportionately as per the 'The Development Agreement' signed between both parties/partners. Profits earned by the Public Partner (the local governing body) shall be invested judiciously towards socio-economic development of the concerned Block. We now need to build a business model (in a simiar way we do for TEVs) for one typical Camping/Caravan Park.