BHUBANESWAR: As tourism and hospitality industry inches back to the pre-Covid normal, demand for international travel as well as direct connectivity from the State is back on track. Just that there exists no direct flight to any foreign destination from Bhubaneswar as on date.
Prior to outbreak of the pandemic, Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) handled on an average 40 flights with a passenger footfall of about 11,000 per day. Now, the daily traffic stands at 35 flights with a footfall of about 8,000 passengers.
However, all of it is in domestic segment. AirAsia which introduced direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur in 2017 suspended it after the pandemic struck. Its flight operation between Bhubaneswar and Bangkok was discontinued in 2019 after a year’s service. The direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur operated four times a week whereas the Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flew thrice.
“As foreigners have started traveling to international destinations, we requested Department of Tourism to press for resumption of flights from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. A decent number of passengers were traveling to these two cities when directs connectivity existed,” said chairman of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Odisha chapter, Gagan Sarangi.
Tour operators are of the opinion that if direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are resumed, then Buddhist sites like Lalitgiri, Udaygiri, Ratnagiri and Shanti Stupa may start witnessing high footfall of foreign tourists.
Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) also requested the government to resume international flight services. “International flight connectivity between Odisha and south-east Asian countries, middle-east and Dubai is need of the hour to improve the State’s tourism sector,” said HRAO and IATO eastern region chairman, JK Mohanty.
The government must aggressively consider viability gap funding in both international and domestic sectors to not only boost tourism but to also enhance trade, commerce and industrial sector of the State, he said.
Direct flights between Dubai and Bhubaneswar should be on top of the agenda since many tourists from Europe visit Odisha and a direct flight to Dubai will make their travel to the State convenient, the operators point out.
The hospitality also sector feels that direct operations from Bhubaneswar to Bodh Gaya and Kochi should be considered while good traffic between Odisha and Rajasthan calls for increase in frequency. The Capital City will host Odisha Travel Bazaar in the last week of October to showcase tourism potential of the State. Leading foreign and domestic tour operators, especially from south-east Asian countries, are expected to participate as host buyers in the event.