OdishaLIVE Bureau
“Tourism conclave would give a 360 degree boost to growth of tourism sector in Odisha, holistic approach to potential issues relating to Tourism & Hospitality sector and prepare a road map with specific recommendations from the stakeholders.”
Despite Being the soul of Incredible India in Tourism, Odisha still lags behind in exploring its potential Vis-a-Vis the overseas tourism inflow to the state. Even with serene beaches, Wildlife, Tribal and Eco tourism in abundance in the state, Odisha fails to catch the attention of tourists or business. It is high time that the stakeholders come together and envision the tourism growth and design an action plan to develop and attract visitors to Odisha and help generate revenue.
In connection to the present state of affairs, a daylong Odisha Tourism Conclave has been planned by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) in the Temple City Bhubaneswar to envision Odisha as a leading tourist hot spot. The conclave will deliberate on various topics covering business aspects like Branding of Odisha, Infrastructure to boost Tourism, Richness of Eco & Wildlife Tourism, Odisha a Buddhist Tourism Circuit and Creating a Tourism Friendly Awareness. Further, owing to the digital boom, issues like Media & Tourism, Social Media & Digital Marketing in Tourism Promotion are slated for discussion. Planning and implementation ideas related to Advantages of Odisha Tourism Policy 2016, Planning From Smart City to Smart State and Enhancing Skills & Training in Hospitality Education in Tourism Promotion will also be up for a dialogue.
The conclave would be inaugurated by Dr. S.C. Jamir, Governor of Odisha and the Valedictory session would be attended by Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik.
The congregation would consist of various stakeholders including Presidents, Chairmen of leading hotels, travel companies, travel associations, Airlines, senior political leaders and industrial organizations.
“The conclave would give a 360 degree boost to growth of tourism sector in Odisha, holistic approach to potential issues relating to Tourism & Hospitality sector and prepare a road map with specific recommendations from the stakeholders. The Conclave would also highlight the changing trends in the media in promoting tourism in the global scenario” said J K Mohanty, CMD, Swosti Group & Chairman – HRAO & IATO, Eastern Region to OdishaLIVE.
Further in line with the conclave, the state would also host the 33rd Annual Convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators’ (IATO) from September 7-10, 2017 to showcase destination Odisha. The Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha together with FICCI will organize the first Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) from October 15-17, 2017.
“Indian travellers spend 15 million rupees outside whereas we attract only 6 million from tourism. We plan to provide good infrastructure and facilities so that the valuable forex stays in the country and visitors explore inside India than abroad.” Mr. Mohanty added
This conclave will be held on 17 June .