Odisha To Create Land Bank Of 1,000 Acres For Tourism Development

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to give boost to tourism sector, Odisha government has decided to create a land bank of 1, 000 acres in the state to attract more investment in hotel industry”, informed Tourism Secretary Mona Sharma on Thursday.

Following the tourism advisory committee meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, Sharma said, “As the state has witnessed growth of more than 9 percent in tourism sector, the government has planned to place special emphasis on development of hotel industry by auctioning 10 identified plots for setting up of hotels in Bhubaneswar.”

Stressing on the need to attract international hotel chains, the Chief Secretary asked the officials concerned to identify sites in different locations including Bhubaneswar, Puri, Daringibadi, Koraput, Rayagada and other tourist destinations for allotment to the hoteliers.

Tourists’ arrival in the state has gone up to an all-time high during 2017 with an inflow of around 141.11 lakh tourists, marking an increase of 9.23 percent over last year, official sources said.

The meeting was attended by representatives of hotels and restaurants association and tour operators.