Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Pravati Parida, today chaired a State-Level Workshop on Development of Global Standard Tourist Destinations in Odisha at Lokaseva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.
The Department of Tourism organised the workshop in line with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India’s initiative to develop at least one Global Standard Tourist Destination in every State under the vision of “One State – One Global Destination” envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing senior government officials, district administrations, industry stakeholders and tourism experts, Dy CM Parida emphasised that tourism has the potential to emerge as a key driver of Odisha’s economic growth, employment generation, entrepreneurship development and regional prosperity. She called for a coordinated and convergence-based approach involving all stakeholder departments to transform Odisha’s tourism destinations into globally competitive destinations offering world-class infrastructure, services and visitor experiences. She further underscored the need to create destination-specific development plans that balance tourism growth along with environmental conservation and community participation.
During the workshop, the Department of Tourism presented two proposed destinations under the initiative—Puri–Konark and Hirakud. The Puri–Konark region was showcased as a world-class heritage, spiritual and coastal tourism destination centred around the Jagannath culture, Konark Sun Temple, Odisha’s coastline, Chilika and Raghurajpur heritage village. Hirakud was presented as a high-potential eco-tourism, water-tourism and adventure-tourism destination anchored around the Hirakud Reservoir and Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary.
Participants deliberated on critical aspects including destination planning, establishment of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), infrastructure development, visitor management, sustainability, governance frameworks, private sector participation and inter-departmental convergence. Discussions also focused on improving tourism amenities, strengthening last-mile connectivity, enhancing visitor experiences and attracting responsible investments under the Odisha Tourism Policy.
Speaking on the occasion, Sachin Ramchandra Yadav, Commissioner-cum-Secretary in charge, Tourism Department, highlighted the objectives of the workshop and the roadmap being pursued by the Department to achieve global destination standards. The meeting was presided over by Shri Deepankar Mohapatra, Director, Tourism.
Among others, representatives from the Departments of Works, Housing & Urban Development, Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Water Resources, Revenue & Disaster Management, Transport, Culture and district administrations participated in the workshop.
Representatives from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS), Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Odisha Association of Tour Operators (OATO) and Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) were also present and shared their recommendations during the deliberations.
