Tourists troubled by unavailability of online booking for safaris, stakeholders fear loss
Telegraph | 18 May 2026
The suspension of online booking for car safaris across north Bengal’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries over the last 16 months has become a major concern for tourism stakeholders, who fear that the situation could soon affect visitor footfall in the Dooars.
Tour operators said they would raise the issue with chief minister Suvendu Adhikary during his visit to Siliguri on May 20, where he will meet officials from various departments.
According to industry stakeholders, the lack of online booking for jeep safaris in parks such as Jaldapara National Park and Gorumara National Park has resulted in frequent confrontations between tourists and brokers.
Tourists alleged that brokers were exploiting them by charging exorbitant rates for safari tickets. While the actual fare for a vehicle is around ₹1,750, visitors claimed they were often forced to pay more than ₹4,000 through middlemen.
Many also complained that they had to extend their stay by a day to secure safari tickets, increasing their travel expenses.
“If online booking is introduced, tourists can book the safari tickets themselves according to their convenience,” a tour operator said.
Delhi resident Rishiraj Guha, who visited Jaldapara with his family, said: “We were six members. When we reached Jaldapara, I thought we would easily get car safari tickets by queuing up, but we failed. More surprisingly, I saw a few youths standing in the queue and charging an extra ₹2,000 for arranging tickets, which is ridiculous. We had to stay another day to avail the safari. If online booking is not introduced, the number of tourists will decline rapidly.”
Biplab Dey, joint secretary of the Dooars Tourism Development Welfare Society, said the tourism sector had already suffered severe losses in March and April because of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and the Assembly elections.
“Tourists started visiting the region again in May, but the major problem is the offline booking system for car safaris. The forest department should take necessary initiatives,” Dey said.
The issue has become more pressing as forests across the region are scheduled to remain closed for three months starting June 16 because of the monsoon season.
In Jaldapara National Park, around 30 jeeps operate four trips daily, accommodating nearly 700 tourists. A similar number of safari vehicles operate in Gorumara National Park.
Stakeholders linked the suspension of online bookings to an administrative decision taken after a meeting held at the Alipurduar Parade Ground in January 2025.
During the meeting, Suman Kanjilal, then Alipurduar MLA, had complained to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee that the forest department was charging unnecessary entry fees from visitors.
Mamata directed senior forest officials present not to take entry fees at national parks and sanctuaries.
“Since then, for unknown reasons, the online booking system for car safaris was also withdrawn,” a stakeholder alleged.
Nabikant Jha, assistant wildlife warden of Jaldapara, said the matter had been forwarded to higher authorities. “We have already sent the proposal to the higher authority and they will take the final decision,” he said.