Tag Archives: Odisha

The 40th IATO Annual Convention scheduled to take place in 2025, will be hosted in Puri. Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO said, “The convention will take place at the new Swosti Hotel.” He revealed the availability of high-quality stays for the event, including Taj Puri and Mayfair hotels.

Speaking at the inauguration of Swosti Premium Beach Resorts Puri, JK Mohanty, CMD, Swosti Resorts, said, “It is the first five-star property in Puri and will change the hospitality landscape of the town, which receives thousands of visitors from across the country as well as outside.”

Pravati Parida, Deputy Chief Minister, Odisha said that state government will develop rural tourism in the state. Funds will be sanctioned for the development of Maa Mangala temple, along with road from Nimapara to Astaranga and Konark. Villagers will be made aware of monuments in the region, and products of Self Help Groups will be on sale in villages.

Sachin Jadhav, Director Tourism, Odisha, said the Odisha government aims to double international tourist arrivals in the state to 2.5 lakh by 2025 from 1.2 lakh in 2019, with the launch of direct flights connecting Bhubaneswar to Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore under the Viability Gap Funding scheme.  

To promote eco-tourism in the state, Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra approved 13 new eco-tourism places and nature camps including 10 new eco-retreats and three new nature camp places.

Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Odisha, has announced that direct flights will be operated between Bhubaneswar to UAE very soon. Patnaik made this announcement while addressing the diaspora from Odisha in Dubai recently. Odisha government has already proceeded with a viability gap funding (VGF) plan for direct flight services between Dubai and Bhubaneswar.

In a re-shuffle of the state cabinet, the Odisha government has posted Surendra Kumar, who was the Principal Secretary – Steel and Mines, in the General Administration department with the additional charge of the Tourism department as its Principal Secretary. Vishal Dev, who was the Principal Secretary of Tourism, Sports and Youth Affairs in the Odisha government, has been appointed as the new Principal Secretary of the Finance department.

In a bid to boost tourism in the post-pandemic world, the Odisha government is decking up the ecotourism destinations in the state with houseboats as well as water-sport-based recreational facilities. Over 100 destinations are likely to be included in the plan, with boats and jetties expected to be set up by December this year.

Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Government of Odisha said the Chief Minister is expected to soon announce financial packages for the tourism sector.On the other hand, members of several travel associations have urged the Telangana government to take measures to provide relief to the sector.

Reuniting together, the members of Enterprising Knot of Travel & Tourism Associates (EKTTA) attended a workshop on ‘Facing the new normal’ at the State Convention Center (Lok Seva Bhavan) in Bhubaneswar. The workshop was organised by Odisha Tourism in association with Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.