Tourism takes a hit as the hills of north Bengal reel under the aftermath of floods

Darjeeling/Mirik

Tourism and travel have suffered a major blow in the hills of north Bengal as it reels under the severe consequences of the floods that rocked the region on October 4-5. Although tourists have returned, industry-wide tours in the valley, including places like Darjeeling, Mirik and others, have been canceled at a rate of 15%.

According to officials of the Himalayan Hospitality Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), local government and tourism groups managed to rescue all 860 tourists by October 5, while there were tourists who wanted to leave after floods and landslides engulfed the hills.

“A lot of misinformation is being spread that all places in the hills are blocked or closed. Tourists need to call official helpline numbers for correct information, otherwise we face unnecessary cancellations in places where there is no impact,” said HHTDN secretary Samrat Sanyal. Hindu Wednesday (October 8, 2025).

However, places like Mirik, Bijanbari, Tabakoshi, Sukhiapokhri were severely affected due to heavy rains and landslides affecting tourism, he added. According to their estimates, the hills have lost around Rs 50 crore due to floods in the last three days, but the official figures are yet to come.

A tourist from Kolkata, who has been staying in Darjeeling since October 2, said, “We were scared when the incident happened. However, we were in the town of Darjeeling, which was not affected, although areas in the Darjeeling district were affected. That is why we did not return. However, a group of friends who were supposed to join us later canceled their reservations; they were so scared by the photos and videos on social media.”

Tourism experts in the hills have called for a rethinking of the tourism model that promotes more sustainable and ecologically sound structures to prevent such escalations in the future.

“The Himalayas are vulnerable, not just in Darjeeling but all over India people should not travel at night when the risk factor increases,” Mr. Sanyal added.

He also said rural tourism and small homestay bookings were much more negatively affected than popular destinations. Mr. Sanyal added that unregulated homestay constructions in sensitive areas need to be checked whether they follow government protocols to ensure sustainable tourism in ecologically sensitive areas.

The woman who owns a small restaurant near Lake Mirik said that the number of customers has decreased due to the trauma caused by the floods and deaths. “Almost not a single customer comes in a day, we are counting the losses during the peak tourism season,” he added. During this period, the streets of Mirik, which are filled with cars and tourists, have a deserted appearance with only a few people walking. At least 11 people lost their lives due to the flood in Mirik, which created a sense of fear among the public.

Some roads are still closed, forcing tourists to travel long distances, but local authorities are accelerating the restoration process to reduce the impact on business.

Following 261mm of rain in North Bengal, which triggered more than 110 major landslides and killed more than 28 people, hills heavily dependent on tourism are struggling with the additional burden of job loss as many mourn the loss of loved ones.