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To attract foreign tourists to Odisha, the state government is planning to showcase its Buddhist heritage at the fifth edition of the three-day Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB), which is scheduled to start from Wednesday at Eco Retreat in Konark.
While spiritual tourism will be the highlight of the event following temple renovation projects, the government will also showcase the tourism potential in beaches, wildlife, heritage and monuments and eco-tourism. As many as 55 tour operators from 16 countries and 70 tour operators from 18 Indian states will attend the travel bazaar.
The government and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) jointly organise the OTB to create a platform for aggressive promotion of tourist destinations in Odisha among both foreign and domestic tourists.
“The state government is planning to resume the Buddhist Conclave once again, which will be helpful in bringing more foreign tourists to Odisha. No direct flights, lack of adequate star hotel rooms and the pandemic had affected Buddhist tourism in the state. But the situation has improved and with fresh investment for infrastructural development in the Diamond Triangle, the government is all set to revive Buddhist tourism to foreign tour operators in OTB,” tourism secretary Surendra Kumar said on Tuesday.
In 2022, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, Turkey welcomed 2.3 lakh Indian tourists. Last year, this figure rose to 2.7 lakh. Going forward, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkiye aims to increase the number of flights with plans for further expansion to other Indian cities.
The Diamond Triangle of Odisha — Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udaygiri spread across in Cuttack and Jajpur districts — have archaeological evidence of Buddhist monasteries, stupas and remnants of monuments dating back to the 1st, 2nd and 5th centuries AD. “Due to the Covid-induced lockdown and the resultant, drop in the footfall of tourists, the facilities for tourists at these locations were badly hit. We are trying to revive them and are also making infrastructural development like washrooms, parking, food joints and guide facilities at the Diamond Triangle,” tourism director Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav said.
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