Odisha is looking to expand its tourism footprint beyond Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar, adding thousands of hotel rooms and attracting private investment across all districts. At the 7th Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB), chief secretary Anu Garg spoke to Sudarsan Maharana about investment, government’s focus on investor-friendly policy framework, local participation, international connectivity and the strategy to position the state among Asia’s top-5 eco-cultural tourism destinations.
Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) brings buyers and sellers together. What concrete investment commitments does the government expect from this year’s event?
Today itself, 181 new projects were announced, involving 14,000 keys (rooms), with an investment of over Rs 11,500 crore. By the end of OTB, we expect more investors and tour operators to come forward.
We want to market Odisha in a manner that attracts more investors, leading to the creation of more hotels and tourism facilities and, ultimately, more tourists coming to the state.
The 7th edition of OTB has brought together over 200 hosted buyers and 80 Odisha sellers from across the tourism ecosystem. We are targeting 6,000-plus pre-scheduled B2B meetings to create tangible business opportunities between buyers and Odisha’s tourism industry.
We are also introducing a dedicated Tourism Investment Roundtable to connect investors with emerging tourism investment opportunities in the state.
What has been the response to the government’s efforts to attract private investment in tourism?
Everywhere we go and at every roadshow we organise, we encourage as many partners as possible to invest in Odisha’s tourism sector. We have already received a large amount of investment in the sector in the recent past.
The heartening thing is that this investment is not limited to Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. In today’s announcements, not a single district has been left out of tourism investment.
From Boudh and Sonepur to Deogarh, people have come forward to invest in tourism across districts in one way or another. That shows that our Tourism Policy is investor-friendly.
The government wants tourism to extend beyond conventional hotels and resorts. How will OTB 2026 help expand grassroots tourism such as rural homestays and eco-cottages?
We have all the stakeholders here. For example, we have a woman entrepreneur involved in destination weddings. We briefed her about the destinations she could identify and how she could connect with the facilities available nearby.
Similarly, people from destination tourism, adventure tourism and other segments will interact with one another, discuss their plans with government officials and take the agenda forward.
Odisha has seen a rise in tourist footfall. How does the government plan to increase the average length of stay and per-tourist spending?
In our vision document, tourism has a very important role. We want to position Odisha among the top five eco-cultural tourism destinations in Asia. Out of the 1 crore jobs we have envisaged by 2047, 25 per cent, or 25 lakh jobs, are to come from tourism. That is why tourism is a priority sector for us. We have planned to develop at least 15 new destinations similar to Puri and Konark.
We are developing Hirakud as an integrated tourism destination on the lines of Kevadia in Gujarat. We are looking at how the private sector can set up resorts there and how facilities such as a mine museum and dam museum can be created to provide visitors with a range of experiences.
The Buddhist circuit is another destination we are planning to develop. Kolab in Koraput and Mahendragiri in Gajapati are other sites we have identified. We plan to develop the Mahendragiri hills as a wellness destination.
We are trying to develop these sites in an integrated manner with other destinations. For example, Raghurajpur in Puri is famous for its traditional Pattachitra art. Similarly, we are developing Kotpad in Koraput and Singipur village near Hirakud to promote textiles and handicrafts. The idea is to allow visitors to explore multiple sites when they come to a particular destination. This will encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more in the state.
Which emerging destinations does the government see as the next major tourism hubs?
We have already identified at least 15 destinations, including Hirakud, Similipal, Kolab, Mahendragiri and Jirang. Efforts are being made to improve connectivity to these places.
For Similipal, we are going to develop Amarda as an airport and provide homestay facilities. Tourism infrastructure will also be strengthened around Chilika, Kolab, Mahendragiri and Jirang. We are trying to develop and showcase more such sites across the state.
For a long time, our tagline was ‘India’s Best Kept Secret’. However, we don’t want to remain a secret anymore. Whenever a tourist - be it foreign or domestic - thinks of a vacation, he or she must think of India and think of Odisha.
What is being done to address the shortage of quality hotels and accommodation outside the major tourist centres?
The investment intents announced today will allow us to add 14,000 more rooms to the tourism and hospitality sector across the state.
At present, we have around 2,800 keys. However, in our vision document, we have set a goal of taking this to at least 15,000 by 2036 or earlier and at least 25,000 by 2047. Our effort is to achieve these targets as quickly as possible.
What kind of support are you offering investors to achieve this goal?
The government has introduced policy reforms and amendments aimed at making investment in the tourism sector more predictable and easier to implement. The framework provides for investment incentives, including capital investment subsidies and other eligible benefits to support the establishment of tourism projects.
There are land-related issues and other challenges. We have come up with a policy under which we are trying to create a land bank of 5,500 acre, especially for tourism and hospitality infrastructure projects.
Single-window clearances through GO SWIFT are in place to streamline approvals and enable time-bound processing. The government is also simplifying and digitising procedures to reduce compliance and procedural requirements for investors, including through the OTIIMS portal, launched today. A dedicated Investor Facilitation Cell will provide handholding support to investors during project development and the approval process, while inter-departmental coordination will help facilitate the licences, approvals and NOCs required for tourism projects.
We are giving priority to investment in the sector and the timely execution of these projects. The mantra of the government is ‘Tourism for All and All for Tourism’.
Restoration of direct flights to Bangkok is a significant step. However, the loss of direct routes to Dubai and Singapore remains a barrier for international tour operators and high-spending tourists. What steps is the government taking to restore these global gateways?
The government is working on it. We are working to ensure that direct connectivity is expanded to more countries.
The number of domestic destinations connected to Biju Patnaik International Airport has also come down from 29 in 2025 to 19 in 2026.
We are in talks with all the airlines and taking necessary steps in this regard.
How does the government plan to attract international tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, given Odisha’s Buddhist heritage and maritime links with the region?
Events like Odisha Travel Bazaar are very helpful. We have foreign operators here with whom we will collaborate for tourism promotion.
We will also take the help of our embassies to attract more tourists. Our efforts include organising roadshows to promote Odisha’s tourism landscape in these countries.
