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%.