Odisha Eyes ‘Tourist Ambassadors’ To Boost Tourism

Odisha Eyes ‘Tourist Ambassadors’ To Boost Tourism

With COVID-19 cases continuing to dip in Odisha, the tourism industry is confident of the resurgence of tourists to the state.

This confidence is boosted by the fact that many people are already packing their bags for “revenge travel” after being forced to stay indoors for months due to the pandemic.

Anticipating this, the Tourism Department has started work on Eco Retreat 2 in order to provide a curated experience to tourists.

Besides, the state government has suggested to the stakeholders in the hospitality industry to appoint visitors as the state’s tourism ambassadors. The aim is to make tourists feel special and have a memorable experience, which will generate genuine feedback loops.

Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy made the suggestion during a state-level workshop for hoteliers, tour operators and travel and tourism enterprises on Wednesday.

“With positive and concerted efforts, the tourism and hospitality industry will soon overcome the shock of COVID-19,” Tripathy said.

Stating that all the stakeholders must give utmost importance on providing excellent experiences to the guest visitors, he added that a rich and unique experience goes a long way to establish a positive rapport with the tourists.

“Tourists coming to Odisha will be the real ambassadors and promoters of tourism if they return with the best experience,” he said.

The secretary also directed all hoteliers, tour operators and hospitality providers not to compromise on matters of health, hygiene, safety and security of the visitors.

Tripathy said though the tourism and hospitality industry was the worst hit during the current pandemic, new positive trends have started coming up. As more and more people have started venturing out, their major concern is regarding health and hygiene. People are looking for offbeat locations to avoid large crowds and maintain COVID protocols, he added.

With 39% of the state’s geographic area under forest cover, Odisha is an exciting mosaic of 19 sanctuaries, one national park, two tiger reserves, largest lake, a significant number of Irrawaddy dolphins, largest winter ground for birds and a long seashore which offer vast opportunities for nature and eco-tourism, he said.

“Along with international tourism, Odisha is an attractive place for domestic tourists also. All stakeholders should focus on attracting more tourists from different states of the country,” he said.

Secretary of Hotel Association of India, Jitendra Kumar Mohanty said, “Odisha is the first state in the country to organize such a common deliberation at a state-level workshop”.

He expressed confidence that with successful containment of the pandemic in the state, the government would facilitate the hospitality and tourism industry to open up with all new normal conditions.