Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, has expressed optimism that the development of the multi-faceted Odisha tourism product will receive a major fillip following the establishment of the air connection by Air Asia between Malaysia and Bhubaneswar. In addition, the development of the commercial airport at Jharsuguda will serve as a major connection with the western part of the State.
Inaugurating the second edition of the Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) 2018, organized by Odisha Tourism and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) last week, Patnaik said the Jharsuguda airport will boost tribal tourism and develop travel and tourism facilities in western Odisha.
The Chief Minister said that the state was all set to host the 14th edition of the Hockey World Cup in November 2018 in which 16 world teams will be participating. This was bound to have a cascading effect of travel and tourism, he added.
He said Odisha Tourism is intensifying its strategy to promote its destinations by inviting more tour operators, travel agents, travel writers, TV team, through its hospitality programmes. To add value to its products, the Department has started Light & Sound Show at Dhauli. Similar Light & Sound Show has started at Konark, followed by Khandagiri-Udayagiri.
He said the strength of Odisha is basically lay in its rich cultural heritage. But new tourism products such as ethnic tourism, Buddhist tourism, eco-tourism, MICE tourism have gained the momentum and attracts lot of tourists to the State for this unexplored sector.
Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister for Tourism, Odia Language Literature and Culture, Government of Odisha, said that tourism was a priority sector of the state. “Our constant drive is to position Odisha as one of the preferred destinations in the country”, he said and added that the state’s Tourism Policy of 2016 was one of the progressive and investor friendly tourism policy in the country. He said the highlight of this year’s OTB is that there has been an increase of participation of number of Foreign Tour Operators from last year 45 to this year 60.
