Odisha Tourism showcases its offerings in the City of Garden, Bangalore
New Delhi : Tourism Minister of Odisha Shri Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi on Monday led a delegation to its Bangalore roadshow, conducted by industry major FICCI.
FICCI has been working closely with the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha for promotion of tourism in the coastal state. FICCI has collaborated with Odisha Tourism for the Press Meet & Roadshow 2019 to drive the Quantum benefit, which in turn would immediately benefit the Tourism Fraternity of the State in substantially augmenting their opportunities concerning Inbound and Domestic Tourism. The theme of the conference was to promote Odisha as a popular 'Global Tourism Destination'.
The state’s ongoing campaign has successfully concluded roadshows in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Kochi (Kerala), and now Bangalore including rapid B2B networking meetings between travel, apart from select meetings with investors and brands looking to enter Odisha’s tourism and hospitality sector.
Commissioner cum Secretary Shri. Vishal Kumar Dev IAS initiated the presentation, by highlighting the key offerings of Odisha across segments such as heritage tourism, ecotourism, ethnic tourism, and spiritual tourism amongst others.
Shri. Dev, who is also in charge of the Sports & Youth Services Department, is known to have led Odisha’s emergence as India’s most vibrant sporting destinations, a key factor for enhancing the state’s global brand image and boosting foreign tourist arrivals.
“Orissa Govt is infusing Rs 500 crore to develop new tourist destinations, including adventure sports in the state. Bhubaneswar, one of India’s smartest and most liveable cities, is being increasingly connected to other parts of India and the world,” said Shri Dev.
Hon’ble Tourism Minister, Shri Panigrahi said, "Our government will spend Rs 100cr and it has been earmarked for developing roads and budget hotels for Talsari, Udaipur and Chandaneshwar."
“We are especially focusing on segments like ecotourism, ethnic and handicrafts tourism, besides capitalising on niche segments like heritage homestays and adventure tourism, so that more tourists can explore the unexplored parts of Odisha,” Shri Panigrahi added further.
The State Government is also encouraging exciting experiences like houseboat tourism and caravan tourism to give the tourists everlasting memories.
Odisha, which witnessed 1.5 crore tourist footfalls in 2018, hopes to see the numbers rise to over 2.5 crores in 2021. The state boasts some exciting tourist circuits including diverse wildlife tours across 18 protected areas and two national parks, an enigmatic Buddhist circuit, apart from the spiritually exhilarating Golden Triangle Heritage Circuit of Bhubaneswar – Puri – Konark.
Among the key initiatives of the Department of Tourism is its virtual tourism drive, centred on its award-winning website - odishatourism.gov.in. The website offers a portal for travel agents and hoteliers to register and publish their Odisha packages.
The Bangalore roadshow assumed a major significance since it opens news avenues for Karnataka residents who are visiting Odisha in large numbers. Entrepreneurs and investors based in Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka will be key players in Odisha’s quest to maximise its tourism experiences through niche tourism products.
