Odisha Pushes District-Level Tourism to Drive Local Economy, Jobs

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is looking to take tourism beyond its established destinations by promoting smaller attractions, homestays, heritage sites and local experiences across districts, with a focus on creating jobs and strengthening rural economies.

The Tourism Department on Friday held an orientation programme for Local Tourism Promotion Councils (LTPCs) under the Odisha Tourism Vision 2036/47. The programme, conducted virtually, brought together sub-Collectors, LTPC chairpersons and members and police officials to discuss a district-centric approach to tourism development.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg, who chaired the programme, said tourism has the potential to make a significant contribution to the economy at the district, state and national levels while creating livelihood opportunities for local communities. She called upon district officials to take an active role in identifying and developing tourism opportunities in their respective areas.

Garg urged the LTPCs and district administrations to identify new tourist attractions, heritage properties, natural resources and potential homestay locations. She also stressed the need to improve basic facilities at tourist destinations, including cleanliness, amenities, signage, hospitality and connectivity.

She directed officials to coordinate with relevant departments for development of roads, ancillary infrastructure and wayside facilities, besides creating opportunities for local youth through tourism-related training and employment. Preservation and promotion of heritage sites were also emphasised.

Under the proposed “One District–Many Tourism Initiatives” approach, each district has been asked to develop around five to 10 smaller tourism clusters or sectors. The initiative is expected to create opportunities for rural communities, women, youth and the MSME sector while spreading the economic benefits of tourism beyond major destinations.

Garg also proposed introducing a tourism ranking system among districts to encourage healthy competition and motivate administrations to improve tourism infrastructure, services and visitor experience.

The meeting also discussed investment opportunities in the tourism sector. With the state working on a tourism land bank to facilitate investment, the Chief Secretary asked sub-Collectors to identify suitable land in their respective areas. Development of hotels, homestays, tour and travel services, tourist guides, transportation facilities and curated tour packages were among the areas identified for private and local investment.

Tourism Commissioner and Secretary Balwant Singh outlined the Tourism Vision 2036-2047, while Director of Tourism Deepankar Mohapatra presented the proposed action plan.

Presentations during the programme covered tourism investment and land banks, destination and infrastructure development, adventure tourism, homestays and ethnic tourism. Senior officials of the Tourism Department also participated in the programme.