Odisha is looking beyond temple tourism. So what will the state focus on next?

Among the potential locations identified for development include Hirakud, the longest earthen dam in the world, which stands across the Mahanadi river; the Satkosia gorge, carved by Mahanadi; Bhitarkanika, India’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sunderbans; Deomali, Odisha’s highest mountain peak; the Buddhist circuit; tribal areas; and beaches like Gopalpur and Talsari.

“Compared to other states, Odisha draws fewer tourists and those who come are largely concentrated in Puri, Konark, and Bhubaneswar – the state’s most popular tourism circuit. Tourists come to these places for religious tourism, visiting the Puri Jagannath Temple, the Konark Temple and the Lingaraj Temple,” a tourism department official said.

While “high-end” tourists also visit these places, they mostly don’t stay due to a lack of adequate accommodation facilities and other basic infrastructure. “It’s high time we address those issues to attract high-spending tourists to the state,” the official said.

Considering the state’s vast scope for nature tourism, including long beaches, mountains, lagoons, and wildlife sanctuaries, sources said the government is now looking at developing such largely untapped locations.

According to officials, in accordance with the Centre’s assurance of support to the state with special assistance for tourism development, the state government will soon submit a report specifying areas that need to be addressed.

It is likely to revisit the tourism policy prepared by the previous BJD government in 2022.

Officials said the government cannot develop the tourism sector on its own, and needs to rope in private players to develop good properties near potential tourism locations as well as market the state’s tourism potential to the national and international audience.

The state’s plan also includes involving local communities.

Though Odisha has seen a steady growth in the arrival of domestic tourists, with over 1 crore footfall recorded in 2023, the state has failed to find a place in the itinerary of foreign tourists coming to India.

According to state Tourism Department data, the number of domestic tourists in 2020 was 46.32 lakh, while in 2021, it was 37.44 lakh, and in 2022, it was 78.90 lakh. The number of foreign tourists was 10,206 in 2020, 2,269 in 2021 and 22,121 in 2022.