A visitors' delight

The Orissa government has drafted a comprehensive tourism policy - including ecotourism, rural tourism and cultural tourism - to attract Indian and foreign tourists to the State.

DOTTED with ancient temples, majestic monuments, beautiful beaches and luxuriant forests, and bestowed with awe-inspiring wildlife, exquisite handicrafts and enchanting fine art forms, the land of Oriyas is indeed the delight of the tourist, domestic or foreign.

The Orissa government has taken a number of steps to exploit the State's rich tourism potential, but resource constraint is a major obstacle to achieving the goals. This is reflected in the dwindling number of foreign tourists visiting the State since 1997, when the figure touched the peak of 35,081. Since then, it has seen a steady drop to 33,101 in 1998 and 22,854 in 2001. However, the number of domestic tourists is increasing steadily; it rose from 2.5 million in 1992 to 3.1 million in 2001.

R. Balakrishnan, Secretary and Commissioner of Tourism, said: "We are determined to make our State the `eastern Gateway to India' for foreign tourists. As per government's tourism policy of 1997, a master plan has been prepared, identifying a number of thrust areas apart from the traditional Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar `golden triangle'. Foremost among the tasks is the promotion of ecotourism, rural tourism, Buddhist circuit, cultural tourism, adventure tourism and, of course, holiday and leisure tourism."

Raghurajpur, 10 km from Puri, has been chosen as the first village to be developed as part of the rural tourism promotion project. The village, which has 103 households, each having three artisans on averge, has a rich tradition of Utkal art and artefacts. Pata chitras (paintings), tusser paintings, palm leaf engravings, stone and wood carvings, wooden, cowdung and papier mache toys, masks and so on are made in the village. Some of the artisans are national award winners. Moreover, Raghurajpur has the distinction of being the birthplace of Kelucharan Mohapatra, the renowned exponent of the Odissi dance form. Such craft villages will be created also at Pipli (applique work), Puri (stone carving) and Cuttack (filigree).

G.N. Mohanty, Managing Director of Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Limited, said: "In the pipeline is a major project for creating an elephant sanctuary at Chandipur. Vast tracts of mangrove forests along the beaches from Chilika to Bhitarkanika, alongside a number of tourist spots, would be earmarked to project ecotourism by encouraging the private sector to operate coastal ferry services. In fact, the most-endangered Olive Ridley turtles which lay their eggs in large numbers along the coast of Orissa, particularly in the Gahirmata islands, are bound to be an exceptional tourist attraction."

As part of the plan to develop wildlife tourism, the promotion of locations such as Similipal, Tikarpara, Kapilash, Saptasajya, Badrma, Belghar, Karlapat and Bhitarkanika, which are rich in flora and fauna, is being given top priority.

Another ambitious plan is to launch a Buddhist circuit to attract tourists from South-East Asia and the Far East, who will be offered a package to visit Dauli (the place where Emperor Ashoka renounced war), Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Langudi (where an image of Ashoka has been found). "We are planning to showcase the teeth of the Buddha in a golden casket, recently excavated at Lalitgiri. For this, the permission of the Archaeological Survey of India has been sought," said Mohanty.

Beach tourism is another important item in the agenda of the department, which has initiated measures to develop the beaches in the State such as Puri, Chandipur and Gopalpur. Tata Consultancy Services, which was entrusted with the task of preparing a development plan for the Puri beach, has since submitted its feasibility report to the government. An international tourism complex will be set up on a large patch of land between Puri and Chilika. This complex will have integrated infrastructural facilities such as an airport, hotels, a golf course, convention centres, a health resort and water sports facilities.

In order to project the kaleidoscopic tapestry of Orissa's culture, the Tourism Department, along with the State Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, organises regularly fairs and festivals, following a calendar of events at various venues, to attract tourists. The Puri beach festival and the Konark Festival are conducted as international events.

Sports and adventure tourism will also be developed to attract tourists. Parachuting, skydiving, handgliding and parasailing; water sports such as rafting, kayaking, canoeing, skiing and surfing; and land-based sports such as trekking and rock climbing will be promoted in certain special tourism areas and identified travel circuits, effectively involving the private sector that will be motivated to develop the necessary infrastructure.

In order to project Orissa as a venue for national and international conventions and for combining business with pleasure, hoteliers, industrial and business houses and entrepreneurs are encouraged to establish convention centres at all the tourist spots in the State.

Apart from implementing human resource development measures to train tourism staff and private operators such as travel agents, guides, caterers and so on, a special tourist police force will be deployed at important tourist centres to ensure the safety and security of tourists, especially those from abroad. The force at present operates in Puri and Konark.