Bhubaneswar: To give a boost to the COVID-hit tourism sector, the Odisha Tourism has decided to go ahead with the second ‘Eco Retreat Festival’ near Kushabhadra mount on Ramachandi beach in Puri district, starting December 1.
According to sources, around 50 luxury tent cottages and associated facilities will be set up on the beach. Sports activities and cultural events will also be organised in adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines issued by central and state governments.
However, tourists from outside the state will not be allowed to take part in the event this year in view of the pandemic.
Tourism Director Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav and Puri Collector Balwant Singh recently reviewed the preparations for the three-month-long festival.
The collector said that there will be value additions to this year’s event. “This will certainly help to revive our livelihood and economy, which has been hit hard by Covid-19,” he added.
The event organised at Konark last year was highly successful and saw record occupancy of 89 per cent. Over 4,000 tourists were at the camps while another 5,000 attended the cultural evenings every day organised during the two-month period.
