BHUBANESWAR: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) has backed the State government’s proposal to the Centre for setting up an international airport at Puri.As the existing Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar could not be expanded further, the hoteliers believed, once set up the new airport at Puri will be the gateway of the State for international destinations.
The proposed airport will not only attract large number of Hindus settled in various foreign countries to the land of the Lord Jagannath, but large number of Indians can have a direct flight access to the first blue flag beach at Puri.
Welcoming the move, HRAO Chairman JK Mohanty said the vision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in making Puri an international hub, not only for pilgrims but also for tourists, is a master stroke to develop the beach town as a major destination in Eastern India.
“The Rath Yatra is a world famous annual event and devotees from across the globe throng Puri. The airport will help Odisha attract more people from different parts of the country and promote Puri as a hub for spiritual tourism,” he suggested.
The tourists had been flocking to states like Kerala for its back waters, Rajasthan for deserts, Madhya Pradesh for wildlife, Utter Pradesh for various ancient marvelous historical architectural attractions, South India for temples and Goa for beaches. But despite having huge tourism potential in terms of art, craft, culture, cuisine, natural resources, beaches, lakes, mountains, tribes, temple architecture, heritage, handicrafts and world class fabrics, Odisha continues to lag behind, he stated.
With the New Year bringing new hopes for the revival of tourism sector in the aftermath of Covid-19, the HRAO has already suggested to develop additional 5,000 classified hotel rooms to compete with the hotel infrastructure of other states and demanded direct flight connectivity between Bhubaneswar, Bodhgaya and Varanasi to attract Buddhist tourists.
The hoteliers have also demanded a mega convention venue in the city to make Odisha a major MICE destination of Eastern India. While several initiatives have been taken by the government to develop Puri as a world class destination, Bhubaneswar has emerged as the sports capital of the country.
“Chilika lake, a gold mine for tourists, can be promoted for MICE, water sports and cruise activities,” Mohanty said.