Odisha Tourism Policy: Stakeholders Demand Overhaul
Tourism and travel stakeholders in Odisha have called for a comprehensive revision of the Odisha Tourism Policy, which was introduced by the previous BJD government in 2022. They claim that the current policy has failed to develop tourism or attract foreign visitors to the state.
In the 2022-23 period, Odisha ranked last among Indian states in attracting international tourists, with only 22,000 foreign visitors. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) has taken the initiative to submit a series of proposals to the Tourism Department as part of its 100-day plan to revitalize the sector, with a key demand being an amendment to the existing tourism policy.
Speaking to the media on Friday, HRAO Chairman JK Mohanty emphasized the need for the government to grant industry status to tourism, similar to 11 other Indian states. This move, he argued, would encourage private investment in the sector.
Mohanty highlighted the shortage of star hotels and rooms as a significant barrier to growth. He stressed that land banks created for hotel development should not be auctioned to builders for other purposes. Currently, Odisha has only 16 star hotels with a total of 1,055 rooms.
HRAO members also raised concerns about land availability for hotel projects following single window clearance from the government. To attract private investment, they argued that the state should provide land to promoters immediately after clearance, rather than after a delay of two to three years.
“The hotel industry needs more than 22 clearances from various departments, which takes a lot of time. After the land and other clearances are given, the promoter gets only one year to complete the project, which is too little time. The government should give at least five years for project completion after single window clearance,” Mohanty said.
HRAO members suggested that Indian embassies abroad, responsible for promoting tourism, should be invited to Odisha for familiarization (FAM) trips to promote the state’s tourism products internationally. They also emphasized the importance of international roadshows, particularly for Buddhist sites and western Odisha districts, noting that foreign tourists spend four times more than domestic tourists.
Currently, only Koraput is listed as an iconic tourist destination under the Centre’s Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 scheme. The association demanded the inclusion of two more popular destinations from Odisha in this list.
The HRAO also placed some other demands including, formation of a Tourism Development Board, Enhanced branding of Odisha, Improved domestic flight connections to Bodh Gaya, Pune, Udaipur, and Allahabad, and Promotion of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism
