OdishaLIVE Bureau
Three day long Odisha Travel Bazaar inaugurated at Temple City Bhubaneswar
The inaugural Odisha Travel Bazaar, 2017 witnessed an evening full of enthusiasm and queries about business and tourism in the state of Odisha. The three day long Odisha Travel Bazaar kick started with an inaugural ceremony comprising of Tourism Ministry officials, Dept. of Tourism Odisha officials, Foreign and Inland Tour operators, Airlines, Hoteliers, Investors from various sectors, Media and General public.
The inaugural session was addressed by Mr. Ashok Panda, Minister Tourism and Culture, GoO, Dr. Mona Sharma, Principal Secy Tourism, GoO, R. Balakrishnan, Development Commisioner & Addl. Chief Secy, GoO, Dr. Nitin Jawale, Director Tourism, GoO, Dr. Prasanna Patasani, Lok Sabha MP and JK Mohanty, Chairman, FICCI Tourism Council & CMD Swosti Group.
Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister Tourism & Culture, GoO, welcomed the guests to the first edition of Odisha Travel Bazaar. He said “We have a lot of tourism destinations to offer and our Tourism Policy is a very progressive one for investors as well as tourists. Our light and sound shows are also popular among visiting tourists and we are also trying to have direct air connectivity to Bangkok soon.”
Dr. Mona Sharma, Principal Secy Tourism, GoO while praising Odisha said “Odisha is a storehouse of natural beauty. We have diverse tourism sites, a large coastline, 2 national parks and other monumental wonders to woo tourists.”
Mr. R. Balakrishnan, Devt. Commissioner and ACS, GoO reiterated “Odisha has a lot to offer to the guests. I hope the tour operators of Odisha and Kuala Lumpur hold a joint meeting and develop products covering both places. We have also alerted Roads and Development authority to develop wayside amenities in 35 places having best food, internet and lodging facilities for visiting tourists.”
Dr. Nitin Jawale, Director Tourism, GoO in his presentation, illustrated the various treasures of Odisha Tourism in his presentation prior to the panel session.
The plenary session on ‘Taking Odisha Tourism to the next Level’ was a mix of investors, hoteliers, tour operators, Tourism Dept. Officials and other stakeholders. It was an engaging session on bringing out ideas for potential revamp and capacity building of tourism sector in the state. It was followed by a lively Q&A session which echoed that Odisha has a lot to offer to the visitors but we need to market our destination aggressively.
The panel session was followed by an enchanting cultural programme consisting of Odia classical and Folk dances.
Bhubaneswar MLAs Bijoy Kumar Mohanty and Priyadarshi Mishra were also present on the occasion while FICCI Odisha Council Chairman, Subhrakanta Panda proposed the vote of thanks.
