{"id":354631,"date":"2025-07-01T01:46:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T07:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=354631"},"modified":"2025-07-01T02:09:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T07:39:26","slug":"darjeelings-tea-heritage-brews-a-fillip-to-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/darjeelings-tea-heritage-brews-a-fillip-to-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Darjeeling\u2019s tea heritage brews a fillip to tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Northern Bengal region is gradually going the tea tourism way to generate revenue at a time when gardens are either sick or permanently closed. A report by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A view of Liza Hill, where once Edward Kingsley owned a tea estate in the early 1900s.<\/em>
Photo by Anthony Kingsley<\/mark><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In April, London-based travel agent and writer Anthony Kingsley visited Darjeeling, often referred to as the Queen of Hills, to trace his family\u2019s origin. It was in this eastern Himalayan region, famous for tea all over the world, where Anthony\u2019s grandfather Edwin, a tea planter during the early 1900s, once owned the Liza Hill estate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the passage of time, however, things changed. Today, Liza Hill is owned by the Jay Shree tea company. The garden was acquired in the 1960s. But an old bungalow, a relic from the past, still stands today. \u201cIn my grandfather\u2019s time, the bungalow was pretty big, with some 32 rooms in it,\u201d Kingsley shared with Tehelka.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A board shares details about the history of Goodricke at Margaret\u2019s Deck tea lounge in Kurseong, Darjeeling.<\/em>
Photo by Joya Allay<\/strong><\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bungalow has an interesting history. It is believed that British explorer and mountaineer George Mallory either stayed in it once or at least visited it in its heyday. \u201cThe Queen of Sikkim (Rani Choying Wangmo Dorji) definitely visited the bungalow,\u201d said Kinsgsley, who is interested in collaborating on tea tourism for interested clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, the link to tea is firmly established in Darjeeling and is part of the hill station\u2019s heritage. Although originally conceived as a place of relief from the intense heat of the plains much like Shimla in north India, tea plantation and production ultimately contributed to the development of Darjeeling Hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked if tea is the main driver of tourism in Darjeeling at present, Kingsley replied that it is perhaps the heavenly view of the Himalayas and adventure sports that bring most tourists to this place. \u201cBut it is important that tea features prominently in Darjeeling\u2019s story\u2014 how it came to be grown in this high-altitude place, the struggles that had to be overcome, and the challenges that persist today. Early planters, like my grandfather, had to clear dense forests for plantation. Today, it seems like an ecological disaster. But it is a story that needs to be told for people to understand why Darjeeling gifts the world such unique tea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The bungalow which still stands in Liza Hill, Darjeeling, today. Many such bungalows are now being thrown open to tourists.<\/em>
Photo by Anthony Kingsley<\/strong><\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, tea tourism is the way out, with many closed gardens not only in Darjeeling, but also in the Dooars (foothills of the Eastern Himalayas) region due to low wages and high production losses. Travels to enjoy and learn about India\u2019s tea heritage can ensure an alternative source of income for many estates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dil Kumar, who once monitored work in Jalpaiguri\u2019s Chengmari tea garden in the Dooars region pointed out that tea gardens are struggling. \u201cThe pest attack is high. Some chemical sprays have been banned. But in place of these, the organic ones aren\u2019t always effective. Tea plants don\u2019t respond well to the latter,\u201d said Kumar, whose family originally hails from Jharkhand\u2019s Gumla district, but has been living in West Bengal for three generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tea garden union leader said on the condition of anonymity that after gardens are permanently shut down, workers are forced to migrate outside in search of work. \u201cThough these people come back once or twice a year, they kind of settle down elsewhere due to higher payments and greater job security. The crisis is deep. The younger generation doesn\u2019t want to work in tea gardens due to low wages and heavy workload.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, in such tough times, many well-known tea gardens are promoting tea tourism. Joya Allay, hospitality manager at Goodricke Group, admitted that the entire Northern Bengal region, including the Darjeeling Hills area, is heavily tilting towards tea. \u201cMany gardens lie outside main towns and are rich in natural beauty and heritage. Many gardens are 100-150 years old. As tea production is not earning much profit, tea tourism is an alternative route.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On its part, Goodricke has established tea lounges to promote Darjeeling tea and make people aware about its rich heritage. Allay shared that the company has opened its doors to tourists who want to experience stays in tea garden bungalows. According to her, tourism is one of the few industries thriving in Darjeeling. \u201cTea and tourism go hand in hand. A blend of both would help the tea industry achieve better goals in future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calling out tourists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though in Northern Bengal, Darjeeling has a definite attraction with its heritage Himalayan railway and views of the snow-capped Kanchenjunga peak, Dooars is also attractive with its dense forests and rich wildlife. The added advantage in both these places is definitely tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Alipurduar district, which is a part of the Dooars region, Manab Bakshi is trying his best to promote tea tourism. \u201cIn tea gardens, there are areas which are left out for fodder. These can be developed by building cottages for tourists. On my part, I am trying to integrate wildlife tourism with tea tourism, as Dooars is known for its animals like elephants and rhinos as well as scenic beauty of the jungles.\u201d Though Bakshi talked about hurdles in his efforts to promote tea tourism, such as acquiring leases and starting dialogues with tea companies, he is keen on promoting and safeguarding a much-loved heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a travel agent, Kingsley offers an advice. As tourism adapts all the time, tea tourism is no different. \u201cThe tea industry has to look at what other businesses are doing and adopt practices that work well. Plantations, particularly those which have invested in organic methods, will definitely find wildlife near gardens. This will attract many tourists initially, who can be made to take an interest in tea later on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingsley feels that the story of tea is such an integral part of Northern Bengal, and particularly that of Darjeeling, that it makes sense to promote it in the same way wine is promoted. \u201cThe story of Darjeeling tea is a fascinating one and deserves to be told and shared as widely as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Northern Bengal region is gradually going the tea tourism way to generate revenue at a time when gardens are either sick or permanently closed. A report by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi In April, London-based travel agent and writer Anthony Kingsley visited Darjeeling, often referred to as the Queen of Hills, to trace his family\u2019s origin. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":354632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2014],"tags":[18044,17123,17569],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354631"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354631"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":354637,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354631\/revisions\/354637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/354632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}