Bhubaneswar, June 17: Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Smt. Parvathi Parida chaired a state-level workshop on “Development of Global Tourism Destinations in Odisha” at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar today. The workshop was organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha in line with the vision of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, to develop at least one global tourism destination in each state under the visionary scheme of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, “One State – One Global Destination”.
Addressing high-ranking government officials, district administration, industry representatives and tourism experts on the occasion, Smt. Parida said that tourism has all the potential to become a major driver of economic growth, employment generation, entrepreneurship development and regional prosperity in Odisha. He emphasized that coordination and joint efforts are needed among all the concerned departments to make Odisha’s tourist destinations internationally competitive by providing world-class infrastructure, excellent services and unique experiences to the tourists.
The Deputy Chief Minister directed all the concerned departments to work in close coordination with the Tourism Department and to move forward in “Mission-mode” for the development of tourist destinations. He also said that it is necessary to prepare specific tourist destination-specific plans that maintain a balance between tourism growth, environmental protection and local community participation.
During the workshop, the Tourism Department presented two proposed tourist destinations under this plan – ‘Puri-Konark’ and ‘Hirakud’. The ‘Puri-Konark’ region was presented as a world-class heritage, spiritual and coastal tourism destination, focusing on Jagannath culture, Konark Sun Temple, Odisha’s beaches, Chilika and Raghurajpur heritage villages. On the other hand, ‘Hirakud’ was presented as a high-potential eco-tourism, water tourism and adventure tourism destination, focusing on Hirakud Reservoir and Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary.
The delegates who attended the workshop discussed important aspects such as planning of tourism destinations, establishment of ‘Destination Management Organizations’ (DMOs), infrastructure development, tourist management, sustainability, administrative framework, private sector participation and coordination between different sectors. The Odisha Tourism Policy also discussed the enhancement of tourism opportunities, strengthening connectivity, enriching the tourist experience and attracting responsible investment.
The workshop was attended by Secretary (In-charge), Tourism Department, Shri Sachin Ramachandra Yadav, Director, Tourism Department, Shri Deepankar Mohapatra, along with representatives from the Department of Works, Housing and Urban Development, Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Water Resources, Revenue and Disaster Management, Transport, Culture Department and the District Administration. Additionally, representatives from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS), Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Odisha Association of Tour Operators (OATO) and Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) were also present and presented their views during the discussion.
