‘Odisha Travel Bazaar’ kicked off; aimed at showcasing the unexplored tourism destinations and wildlife sanctuaries

Bhubaneswar, October 16: In an initiative to kick off the Tourism sector of Odisha, Minister for Tourism and Culture Ashok Chandra Panda called on global tour operators to take advantage of unexplored ecotourism destinations and wildlife sanctuaries in the State apart from the world-class monuments and heritage sites. The event which is aimed at showcasing and selling tour packages to foreign travel agents. 

Inaugurating the three-day Odisha Travel Bazaar, Minister Panda said the focus is now on wildlife sites where tented accommodations have been set up and amenities developed to woo tourists. “The Forest Department has taken several initiatives to develop the ecotourism and wildlife sites. We have been trying our level best to ensure that the state gets its due attention, its potential is rightly focused and we are taken note of in tourism map,” he said.

Odisha has enacted a progressive tourism policy and it is considered as one of the best in the country. Safety and security of tourists are the priority areas for which eight tourist police stations have been set up and patrolling intensified, Panda added.

Tourism Secretary Mona Sharma said since the sector has been taken as a priority sector, the government is providing attractive discounts to investors to develop tourism infrastructure. Several tour operators from different South-East Asian countries and other parts of the world participated in the event.