ODISHA TOURISM: HEADING TOWARDS TOURISM REVIVAL

In a bid to put the state on the global tourism map, panellists at the ‘Odisha Tourism Annual Conclave 2013’ suggested measures for improvement at the policy level. They opined that Odisha needs to aggressively promote its tourist offerings in the domestic and international markets, adopt a tourist-friendly approach and lift the ban on tourists visiting tribal areas.

The Odisha government needs to develop new tourist destinations, except Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark, to give a boost to the tourism industry, opined Ashok Ch Panda, MLA, (Ekamra) Bhubaneswar while addressing the ‘Odisha Tourism Annual Conclave 2013’ held on December 2 organised by the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO). At the Conclave, hoteliers, travel and tour operators, specialists in forest and Ecotourism, media delegates, officials from the Tourism and Forest and Environment departments participated in brain storming sessions and group discussions to deliberate on ways to increase tourist footfall in Odisha. Besides Panda, Tathagat Satpathy, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha; Maheswar Mohanty, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Odisha; Principal Secretary Tourism, Odisha; and J K Mohanty, Chairman, HRAO and IATO Odisha Chapter, attended the Conclave.

Panda thanked Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Govt. of Odisha, for releasing a grant of Rs 50 crore to construct a four-lane road connecting Dhauligiri with Khandagiri, bypassing Bhubaneswar, which will reduce the distance between two heritage sites. During his speech, Satpathy laid emphasis on imparting training to hospitality professionals so that tourists have a pleasant experience during their stay in Odisha. He said that tourist-friendly staff is the need of the hour, which can send a strong message to tourists across the globe. Satpathy highlighted that countries like Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc., have more tourist inflow because of unprecedented warmth and hospitality of their citizens and employees in the tourism sector. He also laid stress on impeccable cleanliness across major tourism hubs. Mohanty agreed on the need to change people’s mindset to attract tourists. Many countries have attracted tourists due to cleanliness at their destinations as well as friendly behaviour. People of Odisha have to change their attitude, he stated. Mohanty admitted that Odisha’s share in addition of rooms was little compared to its counterparts across the country. He said that investments will be prioritised in developing beaches, Buddhist sites and the Golden Triangle, and in tourism infrastructure.

The way ahead

A presentation on the new Tourism Policy was made by P K Chand, Finance Controller, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC). It was recommended that the Policy must be sent to all the district-level collectors and officials of all departments so that there would be quick decisions in solving tourism-related problems. It was proposed to appoint a senior-level Nodal Officer, for faster implementation of the new Tourism Policy, who would coordinate with all other departments and district level officials. The Nodal Officer could also act as a convener of the meetings of the State Tourism Advisory Board, of which the Chief Secretary is the Chairman.

Although Odisha has reduced tax on fuel charges, international airlines who have applied for regulatory approval to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India are yet to receive clearance to launch flights to the state. Panelists suggested that the Odisha government takes up this matter with the MoCA.

Dilip Satpathy, Bureau Chief, Business Standard, said that out of the Rs 65,000 crore budget of the Govt. of Odisha, the allocation for tourism is only Rs 65 crore, compared to states like Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, etc., which spend more than Rs 300 crore in advertising through electronic and social media, print, roadshows within India and abroad, and brand ambassadors. Odisha should also start aggressively marketing its rich tourism potential. The government must consider and take steps for online marketing of Odisha tourism and hotels, and build infrastructure to attract high-spending Indian tourists, he said. Vivek Patnaik, IAS (Retd), former Tourism Secretary, Govt. of Odisha, suggested that importance be given to the Rural Tourism and how it can create employment and generate revenue. Rural Tourism is one area that Odisha has so far neglected, he added.

Visit Odisha campaign

Odisha Tourism has already started the ‘Visit Odisha’ campaign and roadshows have been conducted at Varanasi, Hyderabad, Goa, Cambodia and Thailand. Panellists suggested that Odisha should conduct roadshows round the year like Kerala. However, to create a brand image, it is necessary to produce a 12-15-minute film through a professional advertisement company projecting the rich tourism potential of Odisha. Also, panellists were of the view that short films of 30 seconds each on important tourists should be produced with a brand ambassador, which could be screened in the national media regularly.

It was proposed to request the state government to permit HRAO to start the Odisha Travel Mart jointly with the Tourism Department annually for aggressive promotion.

It was recommended that to create a balance between the tourist demand to visit forest areas and respecting the Forest Act. The panellists suggested requesting the Odisha government to hand over all tourism-related projects and infrastructure from the Forest Department to the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC), which could monitor and allow restricted tourism projects in these areas on Public-Private Partnership mode.

In view of the growing problems, especially on Puri beach and other temple areas, it was proposed to start a Tourist Police Wing under the Home Department with special training imparted to the police personnel to behave friendly and stop harassment of tourists at railway stations, taxi stands, beaches, temples, etc. It was proposed to request the Chief Secretary to take up this issue with the Home and Police departments.

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Source:Travel Biz Monitor