Orissa, the sought-after destination for travellers

HOTELIERS AND the travel-trade in the tourist State of Orissa on the east coast are an exuberant lot. The State capital, Bhubaneshwar, now has better air connectivity, especially after the recent bi-weekly link introduced by Jet Airways from Chennai.

While the Orissa Government is playing the facilitator role to help create better infrastructure, the tourism sector's stakeholders are hopeful that the new air connectivity will provide the much-needed fillip to improve the economic activity of the State.

If ``Discover the enchanting Orissa" is the slogan of the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), the State, in the recent past, has emerged as a much-sought-after destination for travellers who want to mix business with pleasure. Also, emerging as a convention centre, Bhubaneshwar is now seeing the growth of many medium budget and five star hotels.

Bhubaneshwar can now boast of having one of the largest convention centre hotels with the opening of the hotels by the Swosti group and the leisure/resort category of Mayfair Hotels floated by former Union Minister, Mr. Dilip Rai.

``We will have six major medical conferences and an international meet on metallurgy between October and February next year. These conferences will have delegates numbering 700 to 4,000", Mr. J. K. Mohanty, Chairman, Swosti group, told a group of visiting presspersons from Chennai and Bangalore.

Located on a 3.66 acre plot, Swosti Plaza hotel has 106 royal rooms with 18 super suites apart from all the amenities that go with a medium budget hotel. ``We are starting a discotheque, the latest craze among the Bhubaneshwar youth,'' he adds.

Described as one of Eastern India's finest hotels, the new ``Mayfair Lagoon'' is set to redefine the concept of hospitality and establish benchmarks in comfort and luxury. Built on a 10- acre plot, the landscaped low-rise hotel with lush greenery around a lagoon is a paradise in the temple town, says Mr. Souvagya Mohapatra, general manager of the group. Of the total 63 centrally air-conditioned cottages, only 32 are now in operation, providing ample space for working and unwinding.

The Rs. 22 crore luxury hotel will certainly attract celebrities and movie makers from around the world. In fact, a south Indian hot-shot director has made a long term booking to shoot his film.

Though the Orissa Government has found it hard to recover from the ravage caused by the 1999 super-cyclone, the Information, Tourism and Culture Secretary, Mr. R. Balakrishnan, is confident of changing the facade of the temple town while preserving at the same time its culture and heritage.

``Our aim is not only to attract more direct international and domestic flights but also attract investments in the infrastructure sector from both within the country and abroad," Mr. Balakrishnan said. The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation is organising road shows, and ``Orissa Evenings'' in major metros and international travel trade marts.

``We have the Konark-Puri-Bhubaneshwar travel circuit, besides Chilka, the blue lagoon, and other attractions in and around the 480 km pristine coastline for tourists of all ages to explore the temple town'', Mr. Balakrishnan added.

``We are also in the process of making the Tourism Department more cyber-friendly besides launching a CD-ROM updating all the tourist related information'', he said.

Mr. Balakrishnan sums up Orissa's new found mantra to attract pleasure seekers noting ``If Kerala could sell its State with the slogan `Nature at its best' to global tourists, Orissa is poised to market the `Sun' to Scandinavian tourists.

T. S. Shankar

Recently in Bhubaneshwar

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Business
Previous : Promise of TV, Internet
Next     : Digital India signs MoU with Toshiba