BHUBANESWAR: The state government has planned to develop at least 15 iconic sites and create around 15 lakh livelihood opportunities as part of its Viksit Odisha @ 2036 vision, said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday.
Inaugurating the 7th eco-retreat at Ramchandi on the Puri-Konark marine drive, Majhi said the Odisha government plans to place the state among the top five eco-cultural tourism hubs in Asia.
Stating that Odisha offers abundant opportunities for eco-tourism, adventure tourism, heritage tourism and cultural tourism, the chief minister said the government targets to secure arrival of five crore domestic and seven lakh foreign tourists to the state every year.
“Tourism is a sector which generates employment for low-income groups and also helps promote the heritage, culture, traditions, cuisine and way of life of the state,” he added.
Majhi further said eco-retreats at Satkosia, Bhitarkanika, Daringbadi, Sonapur and Konark have boosted the significance of nature-based tourism in Odisha. Stating that they serve as a model for creating livelihoods for local communities, raising environmental awareness and stimulating the local economy, he said similar arrangements should be made at other natural sites across Odisha.
“Eco-retreat is the most attractive among all the steps the government is taking to develop tourism in the state,” the chief minister said further hoping to hold cabinet and council of ministers’ meetings at these places in the days to come.
“The conventional model will not be sufficient to turn Odisha into the most preferred tourist destinations. The state should be prepared as tourist population is likely to increase in the coming years,” he said adding, the government will hold further deliberations in this regard and take necessary steps accordingly.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who holds the Tourism portfolio, said the state government has initiated several steps to make eco-retreats well managed to attract more domestic and foreign tourists.