Private operators and hoteliers are ecstatic over full bookings for the coming festive season, heralded in West Bengal by Durga Puja, an occasion that draws hundreds of expatriates back home.

"This puja we hope to do better business than in the last three years. All the hotels and tourist destinations are fully booked. It is a chock-a-block situation this year," said an elated Raj Basu, chairman, Eastern Himalayas Travel and Tour Operators' Association (Ehttoa).