OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha will soon have a new tourism policy with attractive incentives for investors as well as agencies to boost the sector in the state. Tourism Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev said Odisha Tourism is mulling revamp of its tourism policy. While the new policy is expected to be ready by next year, a new state-of-the-art online portal on tourism will be launched soon.
“Odisha has immense potential in this sector. We are planning to diversify the services by introducing houseboats and camping sites at destinations like Chilika and Bhitarkanika,” he said at ‘Odisha Tourism Roadshow 2019’ organized by FICCI at New Delhi on Monday. Odisha Tourism has identified nine circuits in the state for tourism development. Bhubaneshwar would soon have air connectivity with Dubai and Singapore, apart from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok currently, Dev added.
Minister for Tourism and Culture Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi stressed on the unexplored treasure-trove of tourist sites in Odisha. Odisha has undergone a major transformation in the last two decades and is now one of the pollution-free, safe and culturally rich states in the country, said Panigrahi. He assured investors of full support from the State Government. President of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha JK Mohanty urged investors to take advantage of the new policy for investments and promotions.
FICCI Tourism Committee Chairperson and CMD of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group Jyotsna Suri said since tourism has emerged as a key industry across the world for employment and income generation, Odisha can benefit as well as be benefited by the sector with increased participation by the stakeholders.
Several business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) meetings were held during the roadshow. Since the state has transformed itself into the sports capital of the country, the focus is on to unleash tourism’s potential by fusing it with the sports sector.
