Odisha Potential Through Road Show

With an aim to promote the variety of tourism products scattered in the length and breadth of the state, Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha today through a Press Conference announced a road show which is going to be organised at Hyderabad on 19th December, 2014. As the topographical advantages of Odisha have combined to extract some of the most stunning destinations which not only offers a visual feast to the inquisitive visitors but also highly educative and culturally pleasing insight into one of the oldest civilizations of the world, the road show targeted at the tour lovers, travel operators, tourism decision makers and the influencers of Hyderabad to showcase the state's unspoiled beaches, sprawling lakes, luxuriant forests, teeming wildlife, majestic monuments, exotic handicrafts, traditional tribes, colourful fairs and festivals and the scintillating music, dances & cuisine.

Known for Lord Jagannath Temple - the ultimate heritage for religious culture, exotic art & crafts which offer visitors an indelible experience of its cultural heritage, tranquillity manifested in its ikat silk, pata paintings, silver filigree and stone carving and the oldest tribal communities like Bonda, Koya, Padaja and Santhal, Odisha actually has a lot more to be explored and experienced. Cradled between the sunlit waters of the Bay of Bengal and the heavily forested blue-hued hills of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha's beauty has a gem like reflection, dazzling the visitors with her beguiling charms. Spread over 1, 55, 707 sq kms, her rural tranquillity and great forest lands are home to all manner of wildlife whose ancestral homes lie in the deep reaches of this beautiful land. 480 kms of gentle coastland undulates across a terrain that is as variegated as the prisms of a kaleidoscope.

Apart from these, Odisha has successfully nurtured three great religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism which pays homage to its ancient deities with extravagant style. The rock-cut caves of Khandagiri & Udaygiri at Bhubaneswar throw ample light on the magnificent past of Odisha. With an aim to give a boost to Buddhism, the department of tourism in association with culture department, ASI and many others has organised the 2nd International Buddhist Conference at Udaygiri-Ratnagiri- Lalitgiri complex from 1st to 3rd February 2014. Apart from this, in order to connect all major Buddhist centres of India with the Buddhist circuits of Odisha the department of Tourism, Govt, of Odisha has collaborated with IRCTCto launch a special luxury train named Mahaparinirvana which is going to depart Delhi on 23.12. 2013.

In order to offer best of the services to the tourists a lot of initiatives have been taken. A new Tourism policy has been in operation since April 2013. As per the policy a state level single window committee has been created for speedy implementation of the projects, incentives have been planned for the Tourism stakeholders as part of promotional initiatives. The Govt, has accorded industry status to tourism and has given a lot of incentives for creating tourism infrastructure like hotels, motels, amusement parks etc. More than 10 places have been adopted for promotion of rural tourism where the tourists can experience the artisans at work. With its rich tourism assets such as Golden Triangle comprised of Temple City, Bhubaneswar, Lord jagannath Temple, Puri and Sun Temple of Konark, 480 kms coast line, lakes like Chilika, sanctuaries like Similipal & Bhitarkanika, colourful festivals like Rath Yatra of Puri, Dhanu Yatra of Baragarh, Chadak Mela of Chandaneswar, arts and crafts of Pipili and Raghurajpur, Buddhist site like Ratnagiri, Dhauligiri, Udayagiri and 62 ethnic tribal communities Odisha in 2012 was able to attract 90 lakh domestic and 64 thousand foreigners with a growth rate of 9.3%.