This story is from September 6, 2017

IATO to promote Odisha as preferred destination in global tourism map

Odisha is an untapped region and the state has some of the stunning and attractive tourist destinations which are unexplored.
IATO to promote Odisha as preferred destination in global tourism map
Representative image
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha is an untapped region and the state has some of the stunning and attractive tourist destinations which are unexplored. With aggressive marketing and promotional activities the inflow of foreign tourists to Odisha will be doubled by the next tourist season, said president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Pronab Sarkar.
Around 1000 delegates including 900 tour operators will attend the 33rd annual convention of IATO in Bhubaneswar to begin from September 7.
“The state government partnered with IATO and gave us the responsibility of promoting the state in global and domestic markets through its members participation in overseas road shows, travel trade exhibitions, know India seminars and sales trips. In all such promotional activities, Odisha will be focused as a key tourist destination, which will help in attracting foreign tourists to the state,” Sarkar added.
More than 12 million domestic and around 80,000 foreign tourists are visiting Odisha every year and the numbers are growing by 9 to 10 percent annually. Presently, the growth of tourist arrival to the state is about 9% which is more than the global tourist arrival of 4%.
“It’s high time for Odisha to get its due prominence in tourism map of Odisha. Tourism is no more a thing of luxury people from all sections of society are travelling and we have so many options like ecotourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism, ethnic tourism, adventure and wildlife tourism and religious tourism. We urge IATO to help promoting Odisha through their members,” said tourism secretary Mona Sharma.
Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma and chief minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the event on Thursday.
“From past experience it has been noticed that the host state of IATO convention gets a major boost in tourism inflow. IATO has come to Odisha after nine years and we are very hopeful of some encouraging results in terms of tourism growth in the state,” said chairman IATO, Eastern Region.
However, different stake holders raised suspicion over the success of
marketing strategies for Odisha due to various reasons like lack of basic amenities at tourist spots, safety and security issues.
“Only by saying that we have this and that cannot help attracting tourists. You have to create proper infrastructure like hotel rooms, basic amenities and other facilities at tourist destinations. Our members website, promotional documents reflect Odisha’s rich touristic heritage and educate the staff how best to boost the focused destination,” said Rajiv Kohli, senior vice-president of IATO.
Post-convention familiar trips will be held to take the operators to their area of interest and educate them intensely to promote the destination, official sources said.
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About the Author
Minati Singha

Minati Singha is a correspondent at The Times of India, and covers education, health, art, culture and lifestyle trends. She is fun-loving and adventurous, with a ‘never say no’ attitude. Her hobbies include reading novels, listening to music and watching movies.

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