Hoteliers urge state govt to address issues to boost tourism sector

Bhubaneswar: Members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) on Saturday urged the govt to address challenges facing the tourism sector, including lack of land and infrastructure, to help the state become the 7th most popular destination for tourists by 2027.
"The lack of proper infrastructure and land availability is severely hampering tourism development in Odisha. We are ready to invest, but there's a visible gap in demand and supply," said Milind Gupta, secretary general of HRAO, ahead of the 6th Odisha Tourism Conclave scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar on June 25.
He added that the Tourism Policy 2022 did not yield results, and fresh proposals, such as simplifying approval processes and categorising tourism under the special economic zone (SEZ) framework, single-window clearance, and providing capital and interest subsidies for investors, have been submitted to the govt.
HRAO members stated that Odisha remains among the states with the least number of hotel rooms, with just 16 classified hotels and 1,055 rooms available till 2023. However, a total of 97.25 lakh domestic and 0.45 lakh international tourists visited the state in 2023, as per the India Tourism Statistics Report 2024.
"There was growth in the tourism sector, though the pace is slow. To increase the pace, there is a need for a policy overhaul.
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We have high hopes from the govt that they will consider our proposals and include them in the new tourism policy," said Debashis Patnaik, another HRAO member. "The govt identified land banks in 15 places across the state," he added.
The conclave will bring together travel experts, investors, and industry leaders to discuss ways to boost infrastructure, attract investment and promote international tourism.
According to HRAO, despite its rich cultural and natural heritage, including Asia's largest lagoon, Chilika, and a 480-km coastline, Odisha has been losing over Rs 9,000 crore annually in foreign exchange due to outbound Indian tourism. HRAO emphasised the need to capitalise on the momentum by investing in manpower training and integrating tourism-focused education from the school level.

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