World Tourism Day: Odisha CM Ensures Health and Safety of Tourists to State

CM Announces Opening of Odisha for Tourists from across Country

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced the opening of Odisha for tourists from across the country and assured safety to all visitors to the State.

In a message on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2020, the Chief Minister said, “Ensuring health and safety of all visitors to the State is paramount for us and we are confident that our initiatives of risk mitigation training and dissemination of CoVID-19 health and safety protocols to all the stakeholders in the travel and hospitality sector in association with IHM and IITTM will ensure this”.

The award-winning community-managed model of tourism of Odisha, which has been in practice at 47 forest and wildlife locations for the last 5 years, is well in line with this year’s World Tourism Day theme- “Tourism and Rural Development”, Naveen said.

“As part of our strategy for reviving tourism in Odisha, we are launching the Odisha by Road’ campaign through the Kalinga Rides programme where in we are inviting visitors from neighbouring states as well as within the State to explore Odisha by road. Special itineraries have been chalked out and arrangements made at destinations, as well as en-route, for a comfortable journey”, he said.

OTDC will start a chain of restaurants by the name of ‘Nimantran’ focused on promoting and popularising Odia cuisine. These will provide different flavours of Odia food which are linked with our culture, heritage and lifestyle, the CM said.

He further said that the State Government has started work on integrated master planning of prime tourist destinations across the State by giving emphasis on community participation along with sustainable value-adding enterprises.

The hugely popular glamping festival of Eco Retreat held at Konark last year will be replicated this year at five scenic locations to offer tourists a unique experience of the hitherto undiscovered locations in the State, he added.