1st Odisha Travel Bazaar in mid Oct

FICCI, along with Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha, is organising the first Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) from October 15-17, 2017, in Bhubaneswar, to drive investment in the state for tourism development.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha recently organised a roadshow in Delhi to apprise the travel trade about the various achievements of the state on the tourism front and update them about the investment opportunities during the first OTB.

Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson, FICCI Tourism Committee and Chairperson and Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, informed that as many as 40 foreign tour operators from 19 countries; 10 top of the line inbound operators and wedding planners and 20 leading domestic tour operators from across India will be participating as hosted buyers at the event. The tourism fraternity of Odisha comprising hotels and tour operators will be promoting the tourism products of Odisha as sellers, she added. Suri said, “Odisha Travel Bazaar is modelled on the lines of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB). Now that so many delegates will be travelling to Odisha for OTB, the state will be able to get the necessary exposure and also post show familiarisation trips will enable the state to showcase its untapped tourism potential.”

There will be an inaugural session on October 15 at Mayfair Convention, Bhubaneswar, while the exhibition and pre-scheduled B2B and B2G meetings will be held from October 16-17, at Swosti Premium, Bhubaneswar.

Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Government of Odisha, said, “I invite all travel trade associations to host their conventions and other events in Odisha and to market and promote it as a favourable destination for inbound and domestic tourism.”

Dr. Nitin Bhanudas Jawale, Director and Additional Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha, informed that the state has doubled its marketing budget for tourism. “Last year, we received 77,000 foreign tourists in Odisha, while the domestic tourist arrivals were 1.28 crore. By the end of 2017, we believe that domestic tourism to the state will increase by 15 per cent while our target for foreign tourist arrivals is to grow the segment by almost 30 per cent,” says Jawale. Other dignitaries present at the roadshow included J. K. Mohanty, Chairman-Tourism Panel, FICCI Odisha State Council and CMD, Swosti Group; Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, and Rahul Chakravarty, Consultant, FICCI. Representatives of leading travel trade associations like ADTOI, ATOAI and IATO were also present.