Leading a delegation to Kolkata for Odisha Tourism Roadshow recently, Odisha Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi said that Odisha has huge untapped tourism potential and the state government is taking measures to unlock the potential.
Speaking at the roadshow, organized by FICCI, Panigrahi said, “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 — apart from the most popular destinations like Puri and Konark.”
“The super-cyclone Fani battered Puri in May this year. But it could not dampen the enthusiasm and dedication of the Government of Mr Naveen Patnaik and the people of Odisha to revive the destination and successfully conduct the grand Rath Yatra,” he added.
The state government has already expressed its intent to encourage investment in experience rich tourism products like houseboat tourism and caravan tourism.
Odisha’s present campaign has successfully concluded roadshows in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kochi (Kerala), including rapid B2B networking meetings between travel, apart from select meetings with investors and brands looking to enter Odisha’s tourism and hospitality sector.
Vishal Kumar Dev , Commissioner cum Secretary, Odisha Tourism highlighted the key offerings of Odisha across segments such as heritage tourism, ecotourism, ethnic tourism, and spiritual tourism amongst others. “Bhubaneswar, one of India’s smartest and most liveable cities, is being increasingly connected to other parts of India and the world. It is this city which received commendations from the sporting world’s who’s who for conducting arguably the best sporting events ever in the form of the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018, following the stellar organisation of the Asian Athletics Championships 2017. With this year’s successful organisation of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship and the much-anticipated FIFA U-17 Women’s Football World Cup 2020, we hope to preserve the global spotlight on India’s Best Kept Secret,” Dev said.
The Kolkata roadshow assumes key significance since its residents contribute 14 per cent of Odisha’s annual tourist visits.
